HC Deb 28 February 1991 vol 186 cc561-2W
Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what criteria the definition of poorer countries as countries with annual average incomes of less than $700 per head was chosen; and what is the definition of a low-income country used by the World bank and by the United Nations.

Mrs. Chalker

The $700 income per head upper boundary for low-income countries reflects the banding values currently adopted by the development assistance committee of the OECD. The classification of low-income countries used in the World bank's latest world development report is based on income per head under $545 in 1988. The United Nations has no generally agreed definition. It primarily uses the category of Least Developed Countries, which is based on income, manufacturing base and literacy at the time of the particular country's inclusion on the list. The United Nations Development Programme, at its governing council's special session, on 19 to 22 February 1991 agreed a classification of low income which for most developing countries is based on 1989 gross national product per head under $750.

increasing the efficiency with which it uses resources. It is therefore an inaccurate measure of output of the NHS. Information is not available in this form for other parts of the programme or for later years.

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