asked the Minister of Overseas Development how much was spent by the United Kingdom on aid to the developing countries in 1976 and 1977; and what proportion of the gross national product these amounts represented.

Net flows of official development assistance (oda) and their proportion of the gross national product in 1976 and 1977 were as follows:

			Official Development Assistance	Ratio ODA/GNP
			(£ million)
1976	…	…	462	0·38
1977	…	…	524	0·38

These figures are net of capital repayments to the United Kingdom in respect of past aid loans and also exclude other flows from the official sector not strictly developmental in purpose.