Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the context of remarks made by Anglican Bishops at the recent Lambeth Conference, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of cancelling debts owed by countries in southern Africa that are facing food shortages.

The Government recognises the significant debt vulnerabilities in developing countries and the critical challenge posed by food insecurity and is working closely with international partners to address these issues.

The UK, along with the G20 and Paris Club, agreed a new Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the DSSI (CF), which was designed to help deliver a long-term, sustainable approach for supporting low-income countries facing debt vulnerabilities. 73 of the most vulnerable countries are eligible to request a debt treatment under the Framework and our priority is to work with our G20 partners to implement it quickly for those who have requested it and support new countries who come forward.

The UK also continues to work with the international community to directly support countries affected by the food security crisis. For example, the UK played a leading role in securing the World Bank’s commitment of $12 billion of new projects in the next 15 months to respond to the food security crisis, on top of $18 billion of existing projects.