HC Deb 21 July 1998 vol 316 cc499-501W
Mr. Reed

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list by country the amounts of(a) interest and (b) principal received by United Kingdom private banks, in each year since 1979, from (i) all developing countries that report under the Debtor reporting System of the World Bank, (ii) Afghanistan, (iii) Antigua and Barbuda, (iv) Bahrain, (v) Cuba, (vi) Gibraltar, (vii) Iraq, (viii) Kiribati, (ix) the Democratic Republic of Korea, (x) Libya, (xi) Namibia, (xii) Saudi Arabia and (xiii) Surinam. [51428]

Mrs. Liddell

[holding answer 20 July 1998]: The Government do not keep records of what UK private banks receive from their debtors.

Mr. Reed

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list by country the amounts of debt relief given by the United Kingdom Government since 1979 to(a) each developing country which reports under the Debtor reporting System of the World Bank, (b) Afghanistan, (c) Antigua and Barbuda, (d) Bahrain, (e) Cuba, (f) Gibraltar, (g) Iraq, (h) Kiribati, (i) the Democratic Republic of Korea, (j) Libya, (k) Namibia, (l) Saudi Arabia and (m) Suriname. [51425]

Mrs. Liddell

[holding answer 20 July 1998]: It would require disproportionate effort to list country by country the amount of debt relief—including debt reschedulings and debt reductions—that ECGD has given since 1979. However. ECGD has given debt write offs since Financial Year 1992/3. The tables shows the principal of debt written off since that date in £ millions. No other countries have received debt write offs from ECGD.

Country Total principal of debt forgiven since financial year 1992–3
Benin 7.6
Bolivia 13
Burkina Faso 1.1
Egypt 171.2
Ethiopia 2.3
Mali 7.1
Guyana 72.3
Mauritania 0.5
Mozambique 0.8
Nicaragua 0.8
Niger 0.2
Poland 346.2
Senegal 0.3
Tanzania 37.4
Togo 4.2
Uganda 6.1
Vietnam 5.8
Yemen 6.3
Zambia 6.9

DFID has forgiven aid loans since 1978. All the debt write offs that they have given since 1979 are listed in £ millions.

Country Total aid loans forgiven (principal and interest) since 1979
Afghanistan 1.0
Bangladesh 15.4
Barbados 0.2
Bolivia 0.1
Botswana 20.7
Central African Republic 2.3
Cote d'Ivoire 3.5
Dominica 6.6
Egypt 24.6
Ethiopia 2.5
Ghana 50.9
Grenada 3.3
Guyana 58.9
Honduras 5
India 1564.2
Indonesia 39.9
Jamaica 13.4
Jordan 50.1
Laos 0.03
Lesotho 0.4
Malawi 30.7
Mauritius 1.1
Mozambique 21.8
Nepal 2.0
Nicaragua 0.6
Pakistan 76
Peru 5.1
Senegal 1.1
Sierra Leone 10.4
Sri Lanka 25.2
St. Lucia 2.8
Sudan 9.9
Tanzania 3.4
The Gambia 5.15

Country Total aid loans forgiven (principal and interest) since 1979
Tonga 0.5
Turks and Caicos Islands 1.9
Uganda 22.1
Western Samoa 0.2
Zambia 55.9
Zimbabwe 22.9
1In the case of India and equivalent amount of cost aid was granted instead of a normal operation