Scots want say over foreign aid

from The BBC

More than three quarters of Scots want Scotland to decide how to spend its share of international development funds, a charity survey has revealed.

According to the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF), the country contributes an estimated £377m to the UK Government's budget.

Of the 1,060 people polled, 76% wanted Scotland to decide how the money should be spent.

The feeling was strongest amongst the 25 to 34 age group (83%).

This compared with 61% for 18 to 25-year-olds.

When asked "Did the G8 at Gleneagles in 2005 make any difference to world poverty?", 73% thought it had made no difference whatsoever.

Sciaf also found that almost 90% of people questioned believe the Scottish Executive should buy Fair Trade products wherever possible.

Sciaf chief executive Paul Chitnis said: "The results say a lot about the people of Scotland and how they see the place of Scotland in the world.

"Some of the results came as a surprise to us. They will also provide a wake-up call to politicians and commentators."

Almost £4.6bn was due to be spent by the UK Government's Department of International Development (DFID) during 2005/06.

World poverty

The department has two headquarters, one in London and one in East Kilbride, near Glasgow, along with 64 overseas offices.

Schemes tackled last year included providing humanitarian aid to Sudan in Africa, assisting the electoral process in Pakistan and fighting the spread of Aids in Uganda.

DFID praised Scotland's commitment to ending world poverty, but said the UK's international development was reserved policy.

A department spokesman said: "Scottish people do have a say in how the government focuses its priorities and holds it to account for what it spends and delivers."

He said people in Scotland played a role in the consultation which preceded the process of its white paper which sets out the direction for international development over the next 10 years.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) said an SNP-led executive would double Scotland's existing devolved overseas aid budget from £4.5m to about £9m.

Party leader Alex Salmond said: "The results of this poll are welcome and show that when the real issues are put to people, they want Scotland to take responsibility for her affairs, both at home and throughout the world."

The Scottish Executive said it could not solely stock Fair Trade produce due to public body buying laws, but that it did stock Fair Trade tea and coffee which was also used as a matter of policy in all meetings.

A spokesman said: "The executive has made its support for fair trade clear and is committed to making Scotland a Fair Trade Nation."