Written question asked by David Drew (Labour) on Tuesday, 24 May 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 26 May 2005. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Monday, 6 June 2005 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Indonesia

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assurances he has received from the Indonesian Government that debt relief will not be used to support arms sales to the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: As a result of the tsunami disaster which hit the Indian Ocean region on the 26 December 2004, the Paris Club creditors agreed to offer Indonesia and other eligible sovereign countries a debt service payment moratorium for one year. The Indonesian Government have agreed that the savings from this will be used directly to benefit the populations affected by the tsunami. Together with a number of other donors, DFID has also committed £4.7 million over two phases to an Indonesian-led organisation dedicated to promoting good governance called the Governance Partnership. This provides support to tackling corruption including supporting new state-sponsored anti-corruption organisations, and enhancing development of a modern, pluralistic democracy.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 1396; 434 c247-8W;434 c249-50W
Session: 2005-06
Subjects: Debts Development aid Arms trade Disaster relief Indonesia Tsunami