DEVELOPMENT AID FOR OIL

Early day motion 650, tabled 3 February 2005 by Michael Meacher (Labour). Signed by 116 members.

That this House notes that developing countries with economies dependent on oil extraction display poor developmental outcomes and that oil contributes to climate change, which could undo decades of development efforts; is concerned that the Department for International Development (DfID) supports multilateral development aid for oil extraction in developing countries through multilateral development banks and fails to assess the impact on the poor of DfID bilateral aid for the oil industry in developing countries; believes that this impedes achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and is inconsistent with Government policy on climate change; and calls on the Government to phase out all bilateral and multilateral development aid for the oil industry, to assess rigorously the poverty alleviation and sustainable development impacts of overseas development aid for the oil industry until a phase out is implemented, and for DfID to assist the Government's goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by proactively supporting sustainable renewable energy strategies through overseas development aid.

Signatures by party: Labour 63, Liberal Democrat 34, Conservative 10, Labour/Co-operative 6, Plaid Cymru 2, Independent 1.