§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions the contingency reserve specified in table 30 "Breakdown of Aid budget" of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's 1995 departmental report has been included in aid budgets in previous years; and if he will list the level of the contingency reserve incorporated in the 1994 plans for 1994–95 indicating how the money was eventually allocated to programmes; and if he will give equivalent information for the 1993 plans for 1993–94, the 1992 plans for 1992–93, the 1991 plans for 1991–92 and the 1990 plans for 1990–91. [37227]
§ Mr. Hanley[holding answer 18 October 1995]: It is standard practice for a contingency reserve to be set aside in the aid budget. The information requested, covering the period 1990–91 to 1994–95, is set out in the table. 315W
Aid Programme Contingency Reserve £'000 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 Planned allocation 40,000 75,000 70,000 70,000 75,000 Country programmes 8,580 4,000 13,500 6,472 4,500 Sectoral programmes 2,309 2,400 5,580 3,465 4,258 Emergency assistance 14,800 28,600 28,777 51,692 52,000 Multilateral aid 3,235 37,043 11,088 8,371 3,406 Aid administration 6,035 720 150 — — Natural Resources Institute — 550 — — — Commonwealth Development Corporation 5,000 — 5,000 — 5,860 Total allocated 39,959 73,413 64,275 70,000 70,024