International Development (Reporting and Transparency) Bill

Unfortunately not. I was awaiting my invitation, but it did not arrive. I was also at the fantastic demonstration in Edinburgh, when that massive white band of hope encircled the city. As for what we achieved in the course of 2005, I have to say that I do not know, although I speak on international development issues for my party. I am sure that if other hon. Members were honest, they would say the same. After G8, I listened carefully to what was said. Bob Geldof told us, ““Job done—10 out of 10 for this, that and the other””, and the Government suggested that it was a momentous and historic step forward in securing a great deal for Africa. Then the aid agencies and the NGOs quietly went about their business, dissecting what had happened, and came to the clear conclusion that in no way did the reality meet the rhetoric. The Bill would allow us to match the gap between reality and rhetoric, which can only be a good thing. I particularly welcome the commitment to working towards giving 0.7 per cent. of gross national income for overseas aid. I am delighted that that is in the long title of the Bill. That figure is the totem in international development—the crucial litmus test of whether Governments are meeting their overseas development obligations. There is a lot of confusion about what it represents. People seem to think that it is charity—a gift from the developed world to the developing world. It is nothing of the sort. As Kumi Naidoo continually reminds us, it is about justice, reparation, and recognising and acknowledging the disaster that we made in the developing world through colonisation, subjugation and brutal extraction. It is about playing a part in ensuring that we redress our historic duty. I am delighted that it is at the heart of the Bill. I think that the right hon. Member for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill would acknowledge that the Bill would not deal with all those issues. However, it would allow us to see clearly the efforts that the Government are making in honouring their international obligations and commitments. We have to come to the depressing conclusion that they, and the international community in general, have been pretty poor at doing that. Anything that allows us to debate what the Government are doing is to be welcomed. I assure the right hon. Gentleman of the support of the SNP and Plaid Cymru group for his Bill.