§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to incorporate the Government's objectives, as set out in the White Paper, "Eliminating World Poverty", in the forthcoming Paris Club meetings. [26702]
§ Clare shortMy right hon. Friend the Chancellor for the Exchequer leads on debt policy. But my Department is closely involved because debt relief can make an important contribution to the elimination of poverty in developing countries. In agreeing the Government's line to take for Paris Club meetings, the Department for International Development seeks to ensure that, in determining the amount of relief to be provided, due account is taken of the debtor country's ability to pay, and that essential public expenditure, particularly in the social sectors, can be maintained.