§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is currently being undertaken by the Overseas Development Administration to assist developing countries to adopt planning zoning policies to prevent prime agricultural land from being used for urban settlement.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydAssistance is provided in a number of ways to help achieve good urban planning practice. Eighteen overseas planners received training in 1991–92. We are providing physical planners in Lesotho, the Caribbean and St. Helena. We also contribute to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) urban management programme and the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements. The ODA executive agency, the Natural Resources Institute, has established an urban unit which is developing the institute's capacity to respond to issues arising from urban encroachment into the natural and agricultural environment.