§ The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos)My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development has made the following Statement.
The Department for International Development (DAD) will be increasing its support to Vietnam to £40 million in 2004–05 and to £60 million in 2005–06 to help Vietnam to meet its challenges. Our new country assistance plan for Vietnam (copies of which I have placed in the Library) will support the Government of Vietnam's own strategies for growth and poverty reduction. It sets out three key objectives for our contribution to the collective development effort. First, we will promote fair, efficient and effective use of public financial resources. Secondly, we will seek to strengthen the Government of Vietnam's efforts to achieve social and economic development which includes all groups of society. Thirdly, we will support Vietnam in its transition to a market-based economy. A fourth pillar of our programme in Vietnam will be to help to improve the effectiveness of the international development effort.
52WSDfID intends to provide £20 million a year over the next three years in the form of poverty reduction budget support. This commitment will constitute the single largest element of our programme in Vietnam and will provide a significant boost to Vietnam's overall reform programme. I can also announce today a £500,000 project to help to improve the quality of public investment in Vietnam by supporting the introduction of a modern and efficient inspection system in the Ministry of Planning and Investment.