§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations she has made to the G8 countries, in respect of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. [43018]
§ Clare ShortOver the last few months, I have used bilateral contacts with most of the G8 countries, including France, Germany and the United States, as well as fellow European Union countries and the IMF and World Bank, to press the case for faster and more flexible implementation of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt Initiative. At last month's G8 Summit in Birmingham, leaders agreed to support the speedy and determined extension of debt relief to more countries, under the terms of the Initiative. They also recognised the particular difficulties of post conflict countries, and the need to consider debt relief mechanisms to release more and earlier resources for essential rehabilitation.