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Meetings
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister when he next plans to meet the Prime Minister of Spain; and what will be on the agenda for discussion. [54243]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) today.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
1 Palace Street
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if sapele wood was used in the recent refurbishment of 1 Palace street. [54345]
Clare Short: Sapele was used in a small number of doors during the recent refurbishment. These were used only in the small Grade two-listed section of the building, following consultation with local planning officers. The suppliers no longer purchase veneer from tropical forest zones, and have been permitted by WWF to use up the veneer from existing stocks.
International Debt
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the value is of bilateral debt repayments to the United Kingdom for (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02, broken down by each of the HIPC eligible countries. [53791]
Clare Short: The value of bilateral debt repayment to the UK by the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries is £11.603 million for 2000–01 and £19.575 million for 2001–02. These figures relate to old rescheduled debt owed to ECGD from the 1970s and 1980s; details are set out, by HIPC country, and by financial year, in the table. There were no repayments on aid loans to the UK, as we have already cancelled our aid debts to all the poorest countries, not just HIPCs.
7 May 2002 : Column 12W
The Government provide 100 per cent. relief on their bilateral debt to HIPC countries once they qualify for debt relief under the HIPC initiative.
| HIPC country | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|
| Angola | — | — |
| Benin(1) | 0.146 | 0.051 |
| Bolivia(1) | 0.872 | 0.409 |
| Burkina Faso(1) | 0.066 | 0.061 |
| Cameroon(1) | 1.421 | 0.363 |
| Central African Republic | 0.010 | — |
| Congo | — | — |
| Cote d'Ivoire | — | — |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | — | — |
| Ethiopia(1) | 0.526 | — |
| Ghana(1) | 0.705 | — |
| Guinea Republic(1) | 0.185 | 0.012 |
| Guyana | 3.026 | 1.228 |
| Kenya | — | 14.942 |
| Liberia | — | — |
| Madagascar(1) | — | — |
| Malawi(1) | 0.114 | — |
| Mali(1) | 0.240 | 0.095 |
| Mauritania(1) | 0.005 | 0.009 |
| Mozambique(1) | — | — |
| Nicaragua(1) | — | — |
| Niger(1) | — | — |
| Senegal(1) | 0.013 | 0.176 |
| Sierra Leone(1) | — | — |
| Somalia | — | — |
| Sudan | — | — |
| Tanzania(1) | — | 0.387 |
| Togo | — | — |
| Uganda(1) | 0.465 | — |
| Vietnam | 0.749 | 0.699 |
| Yemen(1) | 0.213 | 0.186 |
| Zambia(1) | 2.847 | 0.957 |
| Total | 11.603 | 19,575 |
(1) Have now passed Decision Point.
Note:
When HIPCs reach their Decision Points they are no longer required to service their debt—with a commitment to full write-off, eg Bolivia, Uganda, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries she expects to reach decision point under the HIPC initiative in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003. [53790]
Clare Short: So far this year, Ghana and Sierra Leone have reached their decision point under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, bringing the total to 26 out of a total of 42 HIPCs. We hope that, by autumn, Cote d'lvoire will be added to the list of countries benefiting from the Initiative. In 2003, three countries (Comoros, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo) may qualify for HIPC relief. The prospects for the remaining eight unsustainable countries are not good. Six—Burundi, Congo Republic, Liberia, Myanmar, Somalia and Sudan—are still affected by conflict; Togo has governance problems; and Lao PDR is undecided as to whether to opt for HIPC relief. Angola, Kenya, Vietnam and Yemen already have sustainable debt burdens.
7 May 2002 : Column 13W
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the value was of payments made by the United Kingdom towards the HIPC Trust Fund to contribute towards multilateral debt relief for (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02. [53786]
Clare Short: The total UK pledge to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative Trust Fund, which is funded by the Department for International Development, is US$306 million, including our US$85 million share of the EC contribution. In 2000–01, DFID paid US$40 million to the HIPC Trust Fund, and in 2001–02 DFID paid US$33.7 million. The UK contribution is paid on an as-needed basis on request by the International Development Association (IDA), which is administering the Fund.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if she will list the multilateral institutions which received payments from the HIPC Trust Fund to cover their provision of debt relief broken down by (a) amount received and (b) country; [53787]
- (2) which countries had financial assistance from a multilateral debt fund in the financial years (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02; and how much they received. [53788]
Clare Short: The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative Trust Fund makes payments to multilateral creditors to enable them to meet their shares of the costs of providing debt relief to eligible HIPC countries. The Trust Fund is administered by the International Development Association (IDA), which holds the details of information sought. I will write to the hon. Member with further information shortly.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the bilateral debt owed to the United Kingdom by each of the HIPC eligible countries (a) has been written off and (b) is outstanding, broken down by country. [53789]
Clare Short: The total outstanding bilateral debt owed to the UK by the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) is £1.529 billion; the amount written off is £0.703 billion. Most of this relates to old rescheduled debt owed to ECGD from the 1970s and 1980s; details are set out, by HIPC country, in table 1. The outstanding debt figure includes £53 million of aid loans which have already been cancelled but are still in DFID's accounts, as payments are written off as they become due; details are set out, by HIPC country, in table 2.
The Government provide 100 per cent. relief on their bilateral debt to HIPC countries once they qualify for debt relief under the HIPC initiative.
(2) Have now passed Decision Point.
(3) The amount shown is ECGD's exposure some of which shall shortly be restructured/reduced.
Note:
Total amount outstanding column includes principal outstanding together with any arrears of interest.
7 May 2002 : Column 14W
(4) YAR to May 1990
7 May 2002 : Column 15W
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