§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of overseas aid provided by the UK is spent on(a) education and (b) health; what steps she is taking to increase this percentage; and if she will make a statement. [78523]
§ Clare ShortThe proportion of my Department's bilateral aid programme allocable by sector in 2001–02 was;
Education: 12 per cent.
Health and Population: 20 per cent.
These figures represent expenditure on projects specific to these sectors but do not capture the full extent of our efforts in each policy area because they exclude multisector projects and programmes, strategic funding to civil society organisations and budget support and balance of payments. Also excluded are activities funded through multilateral channels. Education and health and population will remain priorities for future spending. We do not however, support externally imposed targets. We believe support for poverty reduction strategies devoted to meeting the millennium development goals is the right approach and that our programmes should be harmonised with the efforts of other donors behind locally led poverty reduction strategies.