To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to increase the budget for the joint funding scheme.

I have decided to increase this year's budget for the joint funding scheme to £10·5 million, which is a 75 per cent. increase on the original allocation for last year. Under the joint funding scheme we support, on a 50:50 basis, voluntary agencies' projects which are aimed at some of the poorest and most disadvantaged communities in the developing world, and I am sure that this is money very well spent.