§ Mr. WyattTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what changes the Government have made since 1997 to its programme aimed at preserving the rainforests in terms of(a) funding and (b) number of projects; and what the reasons are for such changes. [143220]
§ Hilary BennDFID accounts for expenditure on forestry but does not distinguish between different types of forests. The following figures apply to forests in general and not specifically to rainforests. They relate to bilateral expenditure and are exclusive of spending on research under the Forestry Research Programme, which has averaged about £2.5 million per annum since 1997.
In financial year 1997–98 expenditure was £22.1 million, on 199 projects. In financial year 2002–03 expenditure was £20.6 million, on 99 projects. Expenditure was fairly constant during this six-year period but there was a steady decline in the number of projects. This is a consequence of a focus on a smaller number of larger projects, more directly in support of poverty reduction. In addition, the last six years has seen the closure of a number of smaller programmes, particularly in Latin America.
919W
£ millions Total gross public (bilateral)expenditure (exclusive of research) Number of projects 1997–98 22.1 199 1998–99 19.7 173 1999–2000 23.1 129 2000–01 20.4 112 2001–02 17.9 99 2002–03 20.6 99