To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries in receipt of development aid from his Department have experienced a reduction in the (a) number and (b) monetary value of migrant remittances in the last three years; and what steps his Department takes to establish the effects of such remittances on (i) the economy of the recipient country and (ii) the pattern of his Department’s distribution of development aid. (300386)

Based on the most recent World Bank data for the period 2006-08, no countries receiving developmental aid from the Department for International Development (DFID) have experienced a reduction in the number or monetary value of migrant remittances in the last three years. We will continue to monitor this as new data become available.

DFID Country Offices monitor remittance flows as part of their routine macroeconomic surveillance. Decisions on where UK bilateral aid is spent are initially guided by three principles: levels of Gross National Income (GNI) per person; population size; and confidence on whether the aid resources will be used effectively. As remittances are part of the GNI calculation, they are captured in decisions about the allocation of DFID’s aid.