International Development (Reporting and Transparency) Bill

The hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Angela Browning) is not only a sponsor of the Bill, but an extremely wise person. Who am I to disagree with the wisdom that she shares with the House? Clause 5 addresses millennium development goals 1 to 7, which largely concern developing countries, and seeks to establish, for example, how much multilateral assistance is untied. Importantly, it makes it clear that we should know what assistance is being given to developing countries as they address environmental concerns, which are clearly of the utmost importance. Clause 6 deals with the UK’s expenditure targets and monitors progress towards the objective of spending 0.7 per cent. of gross national income on development assistance. That will include an annual revised assessment of when the 0.7 per cent. target is expected to be reached, as well as of the current percentage of GNI being spent. I am proud to say that if the Bill is enacted, it will be the first time that that figure has been enshrined in legislation.