HL Deb 15 July 1992 vol 539 cc26-7WA
Lord Judd

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, during the United Kingdom Presidency, they will seek to extend the Trinidad Terms to indebted developing countries which are not classified as "low income countries".

The Earl of Caithness

No. Trinidad Terms are specifically designed to address the debt problems of the poorest and most heavily indebted countries.

Lord Judd

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, during the United Kingdom Presidency, they will seek to reduce the debt of the poorest countries in line with the Trinidad Terms and to increase the proportion of debt eligible for write-off from 50 to 66 per cent.

The Earl of Caithness

The Government are committed to the task of persuading their Paris Club partners to agree further improvements to Trinidad Terms for the poorest and most heavily indebted countries, including an increase in the proportion of debt which can be written off. The Government are confident that more countries will benefit from Trinidad Terms over the coming months, but there can be no guarantee of early progress in improving the terms.

Debt relief is not normally a matter discussed within the European Community, although the Government naturally welcome the support of many of their EC partners for improvements to Trinidad Terms.