UK foreign aid money helped fund pope's visit (AP)

Thursday, February 3, 2011 3:01 AM By dwi

LONDON – nation lawmakers demanded an explanation Thursday into ground 1.85 meg pounds ($2.99 million) of foreign assistance money helped pay for the pope's meet to the U.K terminal year.

Britain's polity initially estimated the toll of the pope's four-day meet — which saw the pontiff address crowds in London, Scotland and bicentric England — at 10 meg pounds, excluding section costs. Officials said Thursday that the test account will be lower, and is likely to be addicted to Parliament incoming week.

Malcom Bruce, chair of Parliament's planetary utilization committee, said the revelation that utilization assets helped direction the activate will become as a assail lawmakers and taxpayers.

"Ministers need to vindicate just what this (money) was spent on and how it tallies with our commitments on foreign aid," doc said.

Details of the spending came to light in a inform from a NGO inquiry into the accounts of Britain's Department for International Development. doc said lawmakers and taxpayers want to know if paying for conception of the pope's Sept meet met global assistance rules.

A spokesman for the Department for International Development said the money transferred to the Foreign Office did not constitute official utilization assistance and was conception of a cross-departmental funding effort.

"Our contribution constituted the Catholic Church's persona as a major bourgeois of health and education services in nonindustrial countries," the spokesman said, noting that the NGO also welcomed the agency's immersion on breakable states.

"The NGO acknowledges that we are right to focus on conflict-ridden countries, home to whatever of the world's poorest people," he said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

The committee's report, however, also cautioned that gift much countries antecedency for assistance means it will be arduous to ensure assistance money is well spent in environments that frequently suffer corrupt and inept governments.

Well-run countries where assistance money strength establish more effective were extremity to retrograde out as a result, the NGO found.


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