§ Mr. LesterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether further bilateral aid will be provided to meet the needs of people suffering from the drought in southern Africa; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydMy right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has today announced a further package of bilateral aid totalling £10 million comprising:
- £2.5 million in the form of balance of payments aid for Zimbabwe, to help ease its financial difficulties and enable the Government to import essential food;
- £2.5 million for Malawi (for drought related assistance)
- £2.5 million for Mozambique (for drought related assistance)
- £1.5 million for UNICEF/World Food Programme operations in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia.
- £1 million for further technical assistance and support for the activities of British non-governmental organisations aimed at relieving the impact of the drought in the affected countries in the region.
This will bring our total bilateral commitment in response to the drought in southern Africa to some £48 million.