Oral Answers to Questions — Overseas Development – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 1 December 1986.
Alan Beith
Opposition Whip (Commons), Shadow Spokesperson (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)
12:00,
1 December 1986
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution he intends to pledge to the United Nations international children's emergency Fund and the United Nations development programme for the forthcoming year.
Mr Chris Patten
, Bath
At the annual United Nations pledging conference last month we announced contributions for 1987, subject to parliamentary approval, of £21·5 million for the United Nations development programme and of £6·5 million for the United Nations children's fund. In addition, I have agreed a further £1 million for UNICEF's special appeal for Africa.
Alan Beith
Opposition Whip (Commons), Shadow Spokesperson (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)
I welcome the £1 million for the UNICEF special appeal, but does the Minister recognise that those levels of contributions mean that Britain is giving only half as much to UNICEF as is Norway, which has a population that is only one tenth of ours? Is he aware that we receive three times as much money to be spent by the United Nations development fund in Britain as the British Government give to that fund. Surely the Government can do better than that?
Mr Chris Patten
, Bath
I think I am right in saying that we make the second largest contribution to UNICEF, in the European Community. I value the work done by UNICEF, which is why we make a contribution not only to the regular programme but to special appeals. We have made a reasonable contribution in the past two years and I am sure that we shall continue to consider the fund's special appeals. I am meeting the director of the UNDP later this week.
Sir Sydney Chapman
, Chipping Barnet
Is my hon. Friend aware that the special programme of innoculation of children will be extremely expensive? I think that it would work out at about £5 per child. Nevertheless, will my hon. Friend sympathetically consider making further money available for that project, because it will capture the imagination and win the support of the whole British people? They will appreciate that something practical can be done, to the eternal benefit of future generations.
Mr Chris Patten
, Bath
I agree with much of what my hon. Friend said. This year we made an additional contribution to immunisation and I am sure that we shall make an equally generous response to future special appeals. I should like to put on record our support for UNICEF's work on spreading oral rehydration therapy.
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