§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development (1) what analysis the Department has made of the effect of the military coup on(a) aid spending and (b) international development projects in Sao Tome and Principe; and if he will make a statement; [127259]
(2) how much aid is spent directly by the Department in Sao Tome and Principe; and if he will make a statement. [127260]
§ Hilary BennThe UK does not have a development programme in Sao Tome and Principe. The main bilateral donors are Portugal, France, Spain and Taiwan and the principal multilateral donors are the World Bank, European Community and the African Development Bank. Most development projects focus on infrastructure, agriculture, health and education. The recent coup brought the country to a standstill for a few days. But apart from temporarily slowing down the efforts of the donor community, recent events seem to have had no other negative impact on development programmes.
§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what projects in Sao Tome and Principe are funded through aid from the Department; and if he will make a statement. [127262]
§ Hilary BennDFID does not have a country programme for Sao Tome and Principe and therefore does not provide funding for particular projects in the country, apart from a small grants scheme for Angola and Sao Tome and Principe managed by the British Embassy in Luanda.