§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on progress made in advancing co-operation with French speaking countries. [105660]
§ Mr. FoulkesMy right hon. Friend and I, and officials in our Department, maintain close links with French speaking countries and with our French counterparts and meet regularly. As a result of a series of meetings over the last few months we are working together on a variety of development issues, including co-operation on joint evaluations of selected UK and French activities. Last year we agreed with the French and Germans a Joint Declaration on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of EU development assistance. We will continue to build on these initiatives.