§ Mr. WellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will quantify the contingency reserve within the aid budget for the year April 1991 to March 1992 specifying how much has been allowed and dispensed to date and for what purposes; and if he will give comparable figures for last year's contingency fund referred to in the evidence of the Minister for Overseas Development to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 17 April, question 518.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe contingency reserve within the overseas aid budget for developing countries is part of ODA's internal planning arrangements for the in-year management of the aid programme, and enables the ODA to respond to unforeseen events and changed circumstances. It may be drawn down to augment existing planned development programmes, and supplemented should savings arise. It is also used as necessary to supplement our humanitarian assistance and commence new programmes of development assistance.
For 1991–92, the contingency reserve was initially set at £70 million. Of the total sums committed for Iraqi refugee
186W
Candidate name Parent department Staff ADAS Agency Agriculture 2,500 Agricultural Scientific Services1 Agriculture 130 Central Science Laboratory Agriculture 340 Central Statistical Office 2 1,050 Chessington Computer Centre Treasury 440 Child Support Agency3 Social Security Not yet known Fire Service College1 Home Office 200 Fuel Suppliers Branch Environment 30 Medicines Control Agency1 Health 350 Pesticide Safety Division1 Agriculture 160 Planning Inspectorate Environment 570 Pollution Inspectorate Environment 230 Property Holdings Environment 1,650 Public Record Office1 Lord Chancellor 430 RAF Training4 Defence 2,500 Royal Parks Environment 600 Teachers' Pensions Branch1 Education 300 The Buying Agency1 5 Environment 120 Transport Road Research Laboratory1 Transport 580 Valuation Office Inland Revenue 5,250 Youth Treatment Service Health 210 srelief so far this year, totalling £61.5 million, £19.5 million has been drawn from the contingency reserve. Parliamentary approval for expenditure arising from this and other dispositions will be sought as appropriate through the estimates.
For 1990–91, the contingency reserve was initially set at £40 million, of which £14 million was allocated for humanitarian assistance, and £200,000 was allocated to establish a new small enterprise development fund.