To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has made an assessment of the merits of taking steps to assist developing countries to follow the procurement and contracting procedures set by the World Bank in respect of access to aid. (318610)

The World Bank offers assistance to help developing countries understand and use its procurement systems. No requests have been made by the World Bank or developing countries for assistance from the Department for International Development (DFID) and we have not carried out an assessment.