§ Mr. CrowtherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to increase the amount of aid granted to the 42 least-developed countries to 0.15 per cent. of gross national product.
§ Mrs. ChalkerIn the programme of action adopted by the second United Nations conference on the least-developed countries held in Paris on 3 to 14 September 1990 no target applicable to all donors was established. The United Kingdom, along with several other donors, undertook to make our best efforts to reach the previously agreed United Nations target of 0.15 per cent. of gross national product. However, 70 per cent. of our bilateral aid goes to the poorest countries, some of the largest of which are not on the United Nations list of least-developed countries.
§ Mr. CrowtherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, as a percentage of gross national product, the total amount of aid granted by Her Majesty's Government to the 42 least-developed countries in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mrs. ChalkerNet official development assistance to countries classified by the United Nations as least developed in the year in question, as a percentage of gross national product was as follows:
16W
Year Percentage of gross national product 1980 0.09 1981 0.12 1982 0.11
Year Percentage of gross national product 1983 0.10 1984 0.09 1985 0.11 1986 0.08 1987 0.08 1988 0.10 1989 0.10