asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the debt crisis and the effect of the accession of Spain and Portugal to the European Economic Community on the position of debtor countries.

As I stated to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Mr. Fisher) on 22 May, at column 462, a number of countries have made good progress in tackling their individual debt difficulties. We will continue to co-operate with other Governments, including our present and future European Community partners, international institutions and banks to build on this progress in a flexible and effective manner.