HC Deb 06 June 1961 vol 641 cc872-3
33. Mr. P. Williams

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will detail the extra money made available to Kenya as a result of the recent Ministerial visit to London.

Mr. H. Fraser

Before the Ministerial Delegation visited London, Her Majesty's Government contemplated providing, over and above the assistance already promised, an Exchequer loan of £3 million provided the need for it could be established. The delegation satisfied Her Majesty's Government on the need for this loan, and Her Majesty's Government also agreed to provide a further £3 million for development, half of which will be grant and half loan. In addition the delegation was given an assurance that Her Majesty's Government would, subject to the approval of Parliament, give further assistance towards recurrent expenditure, and a supplementary estimate will shortly be presented to Parliament for the provision of £4 million for this purpose. £250,000 of this latter sum was included as a direct result of representations by the delegation of the need for more expenditure on education.

Mr. Williams

While welcoming the clarity of that statement, would not my hon. Friend agree that it is unfortunate that when the Ministerial delegation left London there appeared to be considerable misunderstanding whether the new money involved was £800,000 of extra expenditure or £3 million, and that it is just this sort of misunderstanding which can create a breach of faith or exaggerate a breach of faith, and which can create misunderstandings between the United Kingdom Government and the Kenya Government, at a moment when the restoration of faith and confidence is of supreme importance? Therefore, would not my hon. Friend agree that greater care should be taken in the future to make quite clear on a fundamental point such as the matter of new money, as in this case, what exactly is the position, rather than having to repair the situation weeks later?

Mr. Fraser

I think this was very largely made a debating point by certain persons. This matter was made perfectly clear in Kenya by Mr. Ngala in the Legislative Council on 26th May, when he made this point absolutely clear.

Back to