To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on provision of aid to countries where torture is used.

As stated in "The Coalition: our programme for government", the Government will never condone the use of torture. In taking decisions on the provision of aid the Department for International Development (DFID) takes into consideration the country governments commitment to human rights, as well as their commitment to poverty reduction, accountability and combating corruption, and the level of development and humanitarian needs in the country.

I have recently initiated a review of the DFID bilateral aid programme to ensure that we target UK aid where it is needed most and will most and will make the most significant impact on poverty reduction. The review will consider which countries should receive British aid, how much they should receive and which countries should stop receiving British aid.