According to figures on the website of the Department For International Development, £13.6million worth of taxpayer-funded development schemes for Brazil remain ‘operational’.
They include a scheme to work up environmental projects billed at almost £9million, another to ‘improve flexibility, agility and responsiveness in the implementation of DFID regional objectives’ worth more than £1.2million, and unidentified schemes costing more than £2.4million.
DFID officials said yesterday that the spending was ‘historic’ and included projects dating from the 1990s, and that they were listed as remaining in operation only because of ‘an IT error’.
But they acknowledged that taxpayers’ money is still going in aid to Brazil, in the form of a £730,000 ‘large emerging economies programme’ to ‘develop a shared agenda and promote global poverty reduction objectives.’ This project, DFID said, is to be wound down ‘at the earliest opportunity’.
Tory MP Douglas Carswell said the figures showed the ministry was ‘not about helping economies to grow’. He added: ‘Aid spending is more about the commitment of DFID officials to expanding their own budgets than helping economic growth.
Keep borrowing even more, whilst taking from our own people, and feed it all to a country which is wealthier than ours. Madness! Sheer bloody madness from the vile DfID. Frankly, Cameron doesn’t give a s**t about our own people, any more than the Labour Party does.
“Does anyone know of another country as thick as England? – John, West, 29/12/2011 08:39 I totally agree. We are pathetic.”
- Steve Fricker, Warsash, Hampshire, 29/12/2011 9:17
