§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 30 November,Official Report, columns 49–50, if he will provide figures on the amount of United Kingdom debt relief provided under the Trinidad terms which has been counted as official bilateral development assistance.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI have been asked to reply.
The Paris club has so far granted Trinidad terms to 13 countries. After a framework agreement is reached at the Paris club, each creditor must negotiate a separate bilateral agreement with the debtor. Not all of the United Kingdom's bilateral agreements have been concluded, but provisional figures suggest that these agreements will reduce debts to the United Kingdom by around £200 625W million. In accordance with directives agreed by the 626W Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, all debt relief under Trinidad terms is counted as bilateral official development assistance.