Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what official development assistance was provided bythe UK in 1998 as a percentage of GNP; and what the performance was of other members of OECD's Development Assistance Committee.[86981]Clare Short: As announced yesterday by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD, the UK's expenditure on officialdevelopment assistance (ODA) in 1998 is estimated at £2,315 million, representing 0.27 per cent. of GNP. This is an increase on the1997 figure of 0.26 per cent. and reflects the Government's commitment to reverse the decline in UK development assistance. Theaverage ODA/GNP ration for all OECD DAC Member Countries was 0.23 per cent. We will continue our strenuous efforts to also improvethe effectiveness of international development programmes.The figures exclude financial flows to countries in transition in Central and Eastern Europe and more advanced developing countriesas defined in the DAC List of Aid Recipients.