§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further action he has taken at meetings of the International Monetary Fund to press for debt cancellation in the poorest countries. [24341]
§ Mrs. Angela KnightThe Chancellor will be attending the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World bank on 22 and 23 April. The United Kingdom has ensured that the multilateral debt problems of the poorest, most heavily indebted will be high on the agenda. At the institutions' annual meetings in October 1995, the Chancellor, supported by other finance Ministers, called on the IMF and the World bank to assess the scope of the multilateral debt problem and to propose a solution. That work will be discussed at the spring meetings. The UK will continue to press for practical solutions to the multilateral debt problems which will be able to deliver an early exit for eligible countries from their unsustainable debt burdens.