§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which countries he intends to increase population and reproductive health programmes in the next five years.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWe are aiming to achieve increases over the next two years and more in some or all of the following countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, the Gambia, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Peru. Achieving this aim will depend on agreeing, with the countries and institutions concerned, proposals that we judge to be sufficiently likely to succeed in their objectives.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the percentage of their aid budgets that is spent by each of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries on population and reproductive health.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI refer the hon. Member to the OECD's 1993 development assistance committee chairman's report, a copy of which will be placed in the House Library, for details of the percentages of each member state's aid budget spent on population and health. The most recent information from the OECD and the United Nations Population Fund indicates that in 1991 average OECD expenditure on population as a percentage of overall development assistance was about 1.3 per cent. The United Kingdom figure was just under 1.5 per cent.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the World bank that more should be spent on population and reproductive health measures; and what has been the result of those representations.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThrough the development commit-tee and the World bank board, United Kingdom 99W representatives have urged that further attention should be given by the bank to population and reproductive health. This approach has been endorsed by both bodies. World bank funding of this work is increasing and it is producing a sector review of population in developing countries.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, at the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, he will make it clear that Her Majesty's Government's policy is that when, how many or whether to have children is a decision for women and men to make freely without coercion.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWe believe that women and men should be able to access the information, commodities and services that they need to reduce the likelihood of conception and thus have children by choice, not chance. They should be free to decide whether to use contraceptive measures, and which to use, without coercion of any kind. Our delegation to the United Nations Conference on Population and Development in Cairo will emphasise these elements of Government policy.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of the European Union's aid budget is spent on population and reproductive health measures.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydAt present, less than 1 per cent. of the European Community aid budget is spent on population and reproductive health measures. Between 1991 and 1993, the EC provided 58 mecu—£45 million1 —for population and reproductive health measures, mostly in South Asia and Mediterranean countries. Financing of some 27 mecu—£21 million1—is planned for 1994.
1Conversion rate for July 1994: 1 ecu=£0.7817.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of Britain's bilateral aid budget was devoted to population and reproductive health activities in 1979 and each of the past five years.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe information requested is as follows:
Percentage of bilateral net official development assistance devoted to population and reproductive health programmes Per cent. 1979 0.31 1989 0.30 1990 0.97 1991 0.89 1992 0.93 1993 1.48
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the World Health Organisation that more should be spent on population and reproductive health measures; and what has been the result of those representations.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydDecisions about the allocation of the World Health Organisation's regular budget are made by successive world health assemblies, by means of resolutions that are based on recommendations of the100W executive board. Through participation in the executive board's working group on WHO's response to global change, British officials encourage WHO to propose plans of work that reflect global priorities—including the need to improve reproductive health.
The United Kingdom is the single largest donor to the co-sponsored United Nations programme of human reproduction research, administered by WHO. This contribution and active role in the HRP's policy and co-ordination committee has enabled us to influence the intensity and focus of this programme's research.