§ Mr. StreeterTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's bilateral country programme aid for Sierra Leone is spent by the Government of Sierra Leone. [126458]
§ Clare ShortCurrently, we are providing £10 million of programme aid to the Government of Sierra Leone for two purposes: to meet the Government's debt service obligations to the international financial institutions (IFIs); and to help pay the salaries of public sector teachers and health workers, and the police. The programme aid grant is administered on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone by Crown Agents Financial Services Ltd. (CASL). CASL make current debt service payments direct to the IFIs on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone as they become due. CASL reimburses the Government of Sierra Leone for prior expenditure on public sector salaries, and then carries out independent audit checks on payroll to guard against fraudulent claims.