§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new steps he proposes in overseas aid to seek to prevent future large-scale deforestation in areas of tropical rain forest.
§ Mrs. ChalkerWe shall continue to encourage the wise and sustainable use of forest resources including support for alternative activities which deter deforestation. Countries receiving British aid will be asked to devote more of our aid resources to forestry.
We will make more aid funds available for international collaborative forestry research. We will encourage British charities to put forward more forestry projects for support from the aid programme. We will continue to help strengthen the institutional capacity of developing countries to deal with forestry issues by, for example, funding overseas trainees on forestry courses in the United Kingdom.
We shall continue to collaborate with other donors in the tropical forestry action plan which is now active in more than 50 countries. We remain strong supporters of the International Tropical Timber Organisation.
§ Sir John StanleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a table showing for each of the last complete financial years(a) the public expenditure planned on overseas development administration in the public expenditure White Paper published immediately prior to each financial year and (b) the outturn public expenditure for each year, including any mid-year additions to the overseas aid programme.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe table, derived from relevant public expenditure White Papers, shows for each of the last four financial years the originally planned provision, estimated outturn (including adjustments to planned provision announced during the year) and final outturn for overseas aid. Since 1984–85, with Treasury agreement, aid programme underspends have been added to provision for the next year rather than, as previously, the year after next. An increase in the planned provision for overseas aid in 1988–89, taking account of the underspend in 1987–88, was announced on 14 November 1988, at column371.
nuclear device emergency response team; what liaison it has with the nuclear emergency search team in the United States of America; and with which other national counter-nuclear terrorist squads the United Kingdom team liaises.
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§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI have nothing to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Sir Michael McNair-Wilson) on 13 January at column784.