Post-2015 Development Agenda
Debate between Charles Walker and Hugh Bayley(11 years, 1 month ago)
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Mr Charles Walker (in the Chair)
Just so that everybody knows where they are at, let me say that we will start the wind-up speeches at 4 pm.
Hugh Bayley (York Central) (Lab)
That rather limits the time for me to say anything.
I start by thanking colleagues from many of the all-party groups that take an interest in international development for joining me, on behalf of the all-party group on Africa, in seeking the debate. I also thank the Backbench Business Committee for giving it to us, particularly in this important week. Next week the United Nations Secretary-General’s high-level panel, charged with producing a report recommending global development goals for the period after 2015—the end date of the millennium development goals—meets in Indonesia. That will be its last full meeting before it publishes its report.
I should also begin by paying tribute to the Government and what the Chancellor said in his Budget speech yesterday.
“We will also deliver in this coming year on this nation’s long-standing commitment to the world’s poorest to spend 0.7% of our national income on international development.”—[Official Report, 20 March 2013; Vol. 560, c. 935-6.]
That is a statement that I imagine everybody here will warmly endorse.
The Select Committee on International Development has made criticisms from time to time of the way in which the Department for International Development is moving towards that goal. We were concerned that instead of increasing the budget in three equal stages over three years from the 0.53% of gross national income inherited from the previous Government, the budget has flatlined for three years and will now rise steeply in this year from, I think, 0.52%, which is slightly below the level inherited from the previous Government as a proportion of GNI.