§ Mr. TimmsTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the total official debt owed by Rwanda; and what was the amount spent by Rwanda on(a) debt service, (b) health and (c) education in terms of (i) US dollars, (ii) US dollars per capita, (iii) percentage of GNP and (iv) percentage of government expenditure in each of the last three years. [31670]
§ Clare ShortReliable budgetary statistics are not readily available. However, the World Bank estimates total external debt, including arrears at about US$1 billion (84 per cent. of GDP), and the domestic debt including arrears at US$223 million. In 1997, debt service payments accounted for 12 per cent. of the budget. Spending on the 379W social sectors has increased in recent years, representing 43 per cent. of recurrent expenditure in 1997, compared to 23 per cent. in 1996. In addition, over 50 per cent. of the development budget is allocated to the social sectors.