§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many overseas jobs in how many countries and at what cost are dependent upon United Kingdom overseas aid; and if he will make a statement. [24301]
§ Mr. BaldryThe primary purpose of UK aid is to improve the welfare of those who live in poorer countries than ourselves. An indirect benefit of aid is that jobs can be created in developing countries. But we have no means of assessing how many or at what cost. Any attempt to produce such figures would be complex, and not particularly meaningful.