asked the Prime Minister whether he will appoint a Minister of Overseas Development.

I am not satisfied on the information before me that it would be advantageous to separate overseas development from our general Commonwealth, Colonial and Foreign policies of which it is an essential part.

Has not the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development revealed once again the extent to which these problems overlap and heightened the confusion about Ministerial responsibility in this field? Is it not absurd that the President of the Board of Trade should be making important proposals on development at Geneva when it is other Ministers who are responsible to this House for the British end of those policies? Should we not make much more effective use of our development aid if we rationalised its administration under one Minister?

I do not think that we should necessarily achieve this result by putting one Minister over, for example, the Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor of the exchequer, because these matters go very much into the sphere of both of them. What happens is that Ministers meet and arrange policy, and whenever it is necessary for a Minister to speak at Geneva or at meetings of the International Fund, that policy is put forward by the Minister most appropriate.

Is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied that sufficient Ministerial attention has been given to the United Nations Trade Conference in Geneva in view of its outcome?

I should have thought that if the hon. Member read the proceedings he would find that the British delegation, with my right hon. Friend at its head, probably saved the conference from complete confusion.

As the President of the Board of Trade has at Geneva made proposals for extending the powers and resources of the International Development Corporation, for example, will the Prime Minister arrange that in future he should answer to this House for the work of the I.D.A. instead of the Treasury, which knows nothing about it?

I have said that I think we must divide this work sensibly. We should not necessarily get the result which the hon. Lady wants by putting one Minister over the heads of others. I am always open to receive any suggestion for improving the machinery, but I just do not think this would work.