International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Bill

Debate between Stephen O'Brien and Gerald Howarth

Friday 12th September 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury) (Con)]

rose—

[Sir Gerald Howarth]

rose—

[Mr Brown]

I am going to move on and finish so that other people can speak.

Is this Parliament really prepared to send the message to the rest of the world that, after 40 years of fighting to reach the 0.7% target—it was 0.27% in 1997; we moved it to 0.3% by 2000, then to 0.4%, to 0.5% by 2006, and to 0.6% by 2010, and then, to the credit of the coalition Government, to 0.7% by 2013—and all this time spent climbing to the top of the mountain and reaching this elevated view, we are going to slide down again by making no commitment in law that in future we will meet the targets we have set?