HC Deb 08 April 1998 vol 310 cc237-8W
Sir Alastair Goodlad

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what effect the establishing of the joint service for the implementation of community aid to developing countries will have on her Department's aid management. [38339]

Mr. Foulkes

The establishment of the Joint Service is formally an internal management issue for the Commission but this Department has a strong interest in the effectiveness of the new arrangements. We are in close contact with the Commission about the restructuring and will seek to establish effective relations with the new structure when it becomes operational later this year. Other than this, the new structure will have no direct effect on the Department's aid management procedures.