§ Mr. PurchaseTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the approval by her Department of the National Roads Bridge Replacement Project in the Philippines. [157855]
§ Clare ShortI have recently agreed a commitment of DFID funds of up to £8.75 million to this project. This will be the final project funded under the Aid and Trade Provision (ATP).
The 1997 White Paper on International Development committed the Government to focus all future development assistance on poverty reduction, and, therefore to end the ATP scheme.
We also agreed to honour ATP commitments already made and to do our best to make them more poverty focused. This project will improve routes passing through poor rural areas of the Philippines.