HC Deb 19 April 1962 vol 658 cc663-4
7. Mr. Wall

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress is being made in the various agricultural resettlement schemes in Kenya; and to what extent these are being financed from British funds, from the World Bank or from local sources.

10 and 11. Mr. Goodhart

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) how many African families have been resettled on European-owned farms in Kenya under official schemes since the beginning of 1961;

(2) how many acres of European-owned farmland have been purchased for African resettlement under official schemes since the beginning of 1961.

Mr. Maudling

Twenty-six thousand acres have so far been bought for the economic smallholder schemes and settlement started with some 730 families: and 54 projects involving the purchase of nearly 18,000 acres have been approved under the yeoman schemes. These are the schemes which the International Bank is helping to finance. In addition, 140,000 acres have been bought for the new smallholder schemes for the settlement over the coming months of some 3,200 families.

The total cost of these schemes is estimated at about £13¼ million, towards which the International Bank has agreed to lend £3 million and the Colonial Development Corporation £1½ million. Her Majesty's Government have undertaken to provide at least £7½ million and it is hoped that the Federal German Government may also participate.

Mr. Wall

Would my right hon Friend agree that unless the problem is tackled on a massive scale these schemes will make little impact? What is needed is a really impressive scheme for the purchase of at least 1 million acres for African resettlement and that it should be done by this summer at the latest.

Mr. Maudling

This particular scheme is a substantial one and the difficulty from the time point of view is not so much the availability of money as getting the land and people qualified to take it up. I know that there are claims for much larger land resettlement. I have been approached from Kenya on this and I am not yet in a position to make a reply.

Mr. Goodhart

Can my right hon. Friend say when he will be in a position to make some reply to these very modest proposals which are put forward by the settlers in Kenya, because this problem is extremely urgent, and, as my hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall) has said, we really must get a move on this year?

Mr. Maudling

As to my hon. Friend's definition of "very modest", when £30 million or £40 million are involved, it seems to be a very substantial degree of modesty.

Mr. Prior

With regard to the Federal German contribution, is the Minister aware that at the Koenigswinter Conference held recently the West Germans expressed a desire to help more in the under-developed countries of the world, and if he will press that with the Germans I think that he will have a favourable response?

Mr. Maudling

I am grateful to the hon. Member for that. We certainly are pressing the Germans to help in these East African Territories and I am quite hopeful that we shall get substantial assistance.

Sir H. Harrison

Can my right hon. Friend assure us that with this resettlement the agricultural advisory services will be extended because resettlement alone, without the knowledge of how to make the best use of the land and raise greater crops, is of little use?

Mr. Maudling

We are in a bit of a dilemma here. Clearly, one wants to get people farming on resettlement land who will farm as efficiently as possible. On the other hand, this tends to slow things up and, as other hon. Members have pointed out, the need for speed is very great.

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