§ Ms DrownTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what plans the Government have to support a multilateral deal on debt at this year's G8 summit in Okinawa; [111960]
(2) what the Government's policy is on changing the level of the debt-to-export ratio within the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. [111959]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe UK Government have never closed off any possibility regarding a further multilateral deal on debt. The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for International Development have both stated publicly that debt relief is not enough in itself and that more must be done to help the poorest countries meet even the basic International Development targets set for 2015. In the first instance, the UK Government want debt relief to lead to poverty reduction and improvements in basic living conditions for the poorest sectors in these countries.