HL Deb 21 July 1995 vol 566 cc62-3WA
Lord Judd

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they accept the analysis by OECD and others that between 1990–91 and 1993–94 United Kingdom aid to sub-Saharan Africa fell by 20 per cent. while aid to eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union rose by 34 per cent. and how far this meets their stated objectives for the overseas aid programme.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

According to our figures (shown in the attached table), UK aid to sub-Saharan Africa fell by 11 per cent. between 1990/91 and 1993/94, while in the same period aid to countries in transition in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union rose from a very low base by 330 per cent. But Africa remains by far our largest regional recipient of bilateral aid, and its share of our country programmes is planned to rise by 1997/98 to 46 per cent. In comparison our modest programme of assistance in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union still only accounted in 1993–94 for around 5 per cent. of our bilateral aid. It is in our and the global interest that we help these countries to make the transition to market economies and pluralist democracies as swiftly and effectively as possible. Several countries are now well on the way with this process, and as they make progress we expect the need for assistance to decline.

UK Bilateral Aid
1990/91 1993/94
£m £m
Sub-Saharan Africa 485 433
Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (countries in transition) 14 61

Source:

British Aid Statistics 1989/90–1993/94.