asked the Minister of Overseas Development what are the proposals of Her Majesty's Government for additional financial assistance to Mozambique.

My right hon. Friend will be making a statement on this matter very soon.

Bearing in mind the Government's decision to cancel their £19 million aid programme to Bolivia, will the hon. Gentleman tell us to what extent the Government take into account the policies of the donee Government in deciding whether to give aid and the amount of aid to overseas countries?

Obviously, the Government take this into account very significantly, and we consider that there is every justification for the change of decision to which the hon. Gentleman referred. I do not consider that that has any bearing on our aid to Mozambique.

Is it not a fact that almost every other European country has a substantial aid programme for Mozambique? As someone who recently visited Mozambique in connection with that country's projected membership of the Lome Convention, may I ask my hon. Friend to accept that it would be absurd for Britain to go slow on the aid that we are giving, and that many of us hope that we may be able to step up that aid in order to compensate for the great difficulties that Mozambique is suffering as a result of invasions from Rhodesia?

I readily recognise the point that my hon. Friend makes. In fact, over 50 other donor countries and agencies are already providing support for Mozambique. They include a number of Governments in the Commonwealth, they include the European Community, which provides food support, and they include a wide range of United Nations Agencies. Mozambique's needs are serious, and this has been reflected by the recent United Nations missions which have gone there. We hope that all donors will continue to give the help that that country so obviously needs.

In what way can the British Government guarantee that no part of our provision of aid to Mozambique is being used directly or indirectly to sustain the guerrillas operating againest Rhodesia?

We have made sure in our bilateral dealings with Mozambique that there is a full understanding, and we are satisfied from our negotiations with Mozambique and through the involvement of our own diplomatic mission there that there is no use of Government funds for the purposes to which the hon. Gentleman refers.