Clare Short is responsible for overseas development and certain aspects of overseas pensions.

Her position was created after the 1997 general election to promote policies for sustainable development and the elimination of poverty and manages Britain's programme of assistance to developing countries.

That has included assisting areas such as Kosovo and the area in Turkey hit by the earthquake in August 1999.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development: George Foulkes

Mr Foulkes acts as Ms Short's deputy.

As the department is one of the smaller government ministries ministers do not have designated responsibilities.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

Lord McIntosh is the spokesman on behalf of the department in the House of Lords.

Baroness Amos

Baroness Amos is a spokeswoman on international development in the House of Lords.

The Department

The department was formed from the former Overseas Development Administration, which was strengthened after the 1997 general election.

Its primary responsibility is for the promotion of development and the reduction of poverty.

Its central focus is a commitment to an internationally agreed target to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015.

It also aims to ensure basic health care provision and universal access to primary education, also by 2015.

To achieve these targets, the department works with other governments, business organisations and institutions such as the European Union and the United Nations

The majority of the department's assistance is focused on the poorest countries in Asia and sub Saharan Africa.

But it is also working to eliminate poverty in countries in eastern Europe.

The Department has offices in London, East Kilbride, New Delhi, Bangkok, Nairobi, Harare, Pretoria, Dhaka, Suva, Bridgetown and Kathmandu.

The former Overseas Development administration ceased to be a separate department in 1979 and from 1975 the foreign secretary became technically the minister for overseas development while the minister with that title took charge of the department on a day-to-day basis.