HC Deb 19 July 1990 vol 176 c663W
Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase support for the least developed countries.

Mrs. Chalker

The British aid programme is focused on the poorest, including those classified as least developed. Within an aid programme that is planned to grow in real terms, the Government will increasingly support least developed countries which are well governed and implement sound economic policies.

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the proportion of gross national product given in overseas aid for each year from 1980 to 1989 to(a) the original 31 least developed countries and (b) the current 42 least developed countries.

Mrs. Chalker

The proportion of GNP given as official development assistance to the 31 countries classified as least developed at the time of the first UN conference on the least developed, and the 42 countries currently classified as least developed from 1980 to 1989 was as follows:

Proportion of GNP given as official development assistance to LLDCs from 1980 to 1989
Year 31 original countries Total per cent. 42 current countries Total per cent.
1980 0.09 n/a
1981 0.12 n/a
1982 0.10 0.11
1983 0.09 0.14
1984 0.09 0.11
1985 0.10 0.11
1986 0.08 0.09
1987 0.08 0.10
1988 n/a 0.10
1989 n/a n/a

Note: The total is made up of bilateral assistance and imputed multilateral assistance.