HC Deb 23 October 1995 vol 264 cc432-5W
Mr. John Marshall

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the United Kingdom's aid budget in respect of the various countries in sub-Saharan Africa in each of the last five years. [37627]

Mr. Hanley

The total United Kingdom bilateral gross public expenditure on aid to countries in sub-Saharan Africa from 1990–91 to 1994–95 is set out in the table.

£ thousand
11990–91 11991–92 11992–93 1 21993–94 11994–95
Angola 1,530 2,433 1,825 13,550 8,845
Benin 260 190 4,016 0 9
Botswana 7,442 11,608 7,462 8,412 5,235
Burkino Faso 361 969 345 248 168
Burundi 199 182 205 3,231 1,498
Cameroon 3,478 3,061 3,353 2,769 2,271
Cape Verde Islands 96 113 97 48 11
Central African Republic 80 75 21 5 13
Chad 189 227 291 424 110
Congo 277 353 281 95 1
Comoros 7 1 42 16 21
Djibouti 96 128 55 110 12
Equatorial Guinea 52 0 0 0 3
Eritrea 1,979 5,824 2,624
Ethiopia 23,799 22,912 17,506 20,177 23,694
Gabon 44 63 9 4 0
Gambia 6,094 5,814 4,919 3,685 2,403
Ghana 29,219 44,659 41,736 26,145 23,347
Guinea 499 957 504 405 279
Guinea-Bissau 39 32 9 51 31
Ivory Coast 10,503 5,813 7,204 1,646 2,065
Kenya 49,957 38,351 37,514 31,231 30,533
Lesotho 5,854 6,454 27,194 6,070 5,124
Liberia 571 722 691 2,252 912
Madagascar 715 699 940 897 813
Malawi 43,526 26,093 27,378 27,009 41,243
Mali 1,346 1,351 1,223 811 921
Mauritania 81 290 154 252 307
Mauritius 5,296 3,055 3,553 1,714 1,486
Mozambique 26,593 18,001 34,177 34,743 25,014
Namibia 1,706 2,366 4,494 3,893 3,572
Niger 376 392 373 468 539
Nigeria 35,238 14,472 15,767 9,751 7,671
Rwanda 389 214 312 1,661 45,280
Sao Tome and Principe 0 0 0 5 3
Senegal 1,159 1,561 1,066 1,010 1,014
Seychelles 1,222 1,555 1,226 2,349 958
Sierra Leone 2,937 2,486 6,483 3,989 8,262
Somalia 1,927 3,025 15,804 5,510 2,083
South Africa 8,093 9,325 11,558 14,432 15,604
St. Helena and Dependencies 11,759 9,161 9,065 9,057 8,148
Sudan 24,613 21,840 9,956 15,519 12,760
Swaziland 5,255 3,499 4,194 8,196 2,574
Tanzania 41,596 32,321 62,299 31,186 30,747
Togo 469 461 311 377 555
Uga2nda 32,211 27,836 34,707 40,470 46,534
Zaire 2,328 1,503 1,371 3,285 1,244
Zambia 49,868 34,444 47,978 47,603 55,934
Zimbabwe 33,627 47,690 44,268 41,239 35,263
1 Figures include project aid; programme aid; emergency assistance; debt relief; and CDC investments.
2 1994–95 figures are provisional.

1. Prior to 1992–93, assistance to Eritrea formed part of programme to Ethiopia.

Mr. Bayley

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will undertake to make no reduction in United Kingdom bilateral aid in respect of poverty-relief programmes, including the provision of clean water, health care and education services. [38003]

Mr. Hanley

The overriding goal of the British aid programme is poverty reduction through sustainable development. The Government will maintain an effective bilateral programme focused on the poorest countries, including help in the water, health and education sectors.

In addition, countries also receive assistance from multilateral aid organisations to which the UK contributes.

Mr. Bayley

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the aid budget will be spent bilaterally in 1998–99 in the event of the aid budget being reduced by(a) 5 per cent., (b) 7.5 per cent., (c) 10 per cent., and (d) 12.5 per cent. between 1996–97 and 1998–99. [37997]

Mr. Hanley

It is not possible to answer this question directly, since there is some scope to modify certain categories of multilateral spending—for example, contributions to new multilateral replenishments or voluntary contributions to UN or commonwealth bodies—particularly in the medium term.

The latest relevant published forecast, in the 1995 departmental report, indicates that bilateral aid in 1997–98 is expected to be 41 per cent. of the aid programme as set in last year's Budget.

Mr. Luff

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the effectiveness of British diplomacy in(a) the United Nations, (b) the European Union (c) the Commonwealth and (d) international organisations of other reductions in Britain's bilateral aid programme; and if he will make a statement. [38148]

Mr. Hanley

Britain continues to maintain the world's fifth largest aid programme which befits her status as the fifth largest economy. We make a substantial and highly effective contribution to the multilateral institutions of which we are members.

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