§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what plans Her Majesty's Government have to reach the target for bilateral aid for basic needs recommended by the United Nations development programme;
(2) if Her Majesty's Government will allocate a greater proportion of its bilateral aid to target the basic needs of poor people in developing countries.
§ Mr. BaldryIn allocating our bilateral aid, we recognise the importance of addressing basic human needs, but do not consider it appropriate to prescribe proportional targets for expenditure on a global basis. We estimate that in 1992–93 around 10 per cent. of United Kingdom bilateral aid expenditure, excluding emergency aid, was on basic human needs, above the average for all donors. In addition we provide around £150 million of emergency aid, most of which goes to meet basic needs in times of crisis.
§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to improve the focus of the European Union's aid programmes towards meeting the basic needs of people living in absolute poverty in developing countries.
§ Mr. BaldryArticle 130u of the treaty on European Union identifies the campaign against poverty in developing countries as one of the central objectives of Community aid programmes. The Development Council in December 1993 adopted guidelines to improve the poverty focus of Community and member state programmes and projects. Seven countries—Ethiopia, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Peru, Ghana, Mali and Nicaragua—have been identified for a pilot exercise in enhanced co-ordination between Community and member state efforts to combat poverty. A social development adviser from ODA is seconded to the Commission and is closely involved in this exercise.
§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of his Department's total aid budget is expected to be allocated through the European Union and through multilateral channels by 1996–97.
§ Mr. BaldryAs indicated in the memorandum submitted by the ODA to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 27 April 1994, by 1996–97 we expect, on current plans, that 34 per cent. of the aid budget will be allocated through the European Union and 18 per cent. through other multilateral channels.
The figures for European Union expenditure are, however, constantly under review.
§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that all Overseas Development Administration funded aid projects are subject to assessment for their impact on different income groups or beneficiaries.
§ Mr. BaldryODA's procedures for the design and appraisal of projects require assessment of projects' impact on potential beneficiaries, with particular attention to the needs of disadvantaged groups.