Britains £11billion overseas aid programme has become a byword for waste, inefficiency and political correctness. Critics say much has gone on vanity projects or to countries that don’t really need it. Controversies include: • A £1.2million donation to the World Bank’s flood prevention and control scheme. Taxpayers contributed a further £986,000 to protect the biosphere in developing countries and a further £115million has gone to flood prevention work overseas. •Billions to foreign governments for projects to tackle global warming, such as wind turbines in Africa – while cash is also helping to build foreign coal-fired power stations. One in South Africa is almost five times the size of a UK plant. •Millions towards disaster recovery following floods abroad, including £42.5million to aid agencies in Pakistan in 2011. •Enormous sums going to China (£27.4million) and India (£290million), both of which have space programmes. •Millions wasted on road projects which critics say are in the wrong place or never finished. In Mozambique, a British-backed EU project to build a £60million road to Malawi ran out of cash four miles short of the border. •Lavish salaries for aid officials. Tony Blair’s former aide Sir Michael Barber was paid £5,000 a day to advise on spending money in Pakistan. And the £100million Trademark Southern Africa scheme was closed down after concerns staff received six-figure salaries. •Sainsbury’s given British aid to improve conditions for foreign suppliers – such as a radio show for Kenyan farmers.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 03:19:04 +0000