§ Miss LestorTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the United Kingdom has contributed bilaterally and within the European Union to the World bank debt reduction facility for each year since it was first implemented. [26869]
§ Mr. BaldryThe IDA debt reduction facility was established in 1989, with funding from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development's net income, to assist low-income countries in reducing or restructuring their commercial debts. To date, the United Kingdom has supported only one operation bilaterally, Sierra Leone, with a contribution of £3 million earlier this year. The EC contributed £4 million to the Uganda operation completed in February 1993; and is planning a contribution towards the Sierra Leone operation.