§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that United Kingdom aid for eastern European countries is invested in activities which are environmentally beneficial or neutral.
§ Mrs. ChalkerBilateral British aid is so far confined to Poland. Projects supported there to date comprise mainly training, technical co-operation and consultancy studies which are environmentally neutral. However, the procedures which we use to assess proposals for funding include an explicit consideration of the effects on the environment. We are also discussing with the Polish authorities a programme of assistance in the energy sector, which will look at environmental concerns.