Written question asked by Bob Blizzard (Labour) on Wednesday, 2 May 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 May 2007. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 May 2007 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Latin America

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to tackle inequality in Latin America.

Answer: DFID is primarily working with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and World Bank. We are seeking to help the poor to get better access to markets, and to make their voice heard in Government services. There are signs of improvement: between 2001 and 2005, incomes of the poorest 10 per cent. of people in Brazil rose eight times faster than incomes of the top 10 per cent. This is in part because of the Bolsa Familia programme of cash transfers that the banks and DFID have been supporting.

Secondary information