In 1977 the Development Committee decided, as an experiment, to hold meetings of the deputies to the Committee members in advance of the Committee meetings, in order to prepare for the discussions in the full Committee. After four meetings the experiment was abandoned.

The records consist of agendas and information packets for the four meetings, verbatim transcripts, and numbered documents. Topics covered are the same as those of the Development Committee for the period, including the role of multilateral development institutions, review of the work program of the Committee, a report of the Working Group on access to capital markets, and a Mexican proposal for a long-term recycling facility.