§ 2. Mr. Martenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about financial help to the British Virgin Islands.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. William Whitlock)In addition to budgetary grant-in-aid of £131,000, Colonial Development and Welfare Fund grants totalling £269,000 are being made available to the British Virgin Islands in the current financial year. An Exchequer loan of £60,000 towards the cost of improving the airfield has also been approved in principle.
1066 Talks with representatives of the British Virgin Islands Government on the level of aid for 1969–70 will take place later this month.
§ Mr. MartenWhile I am sure that the islanders are grateful for the aid received so far, may I ask whether the Government could give sympathetic interest to helping them to finance two important developments—the deep-water harbour at Roadtown and the air terminal—by a long-term loan?
§ Mr. WhitlockNo doubt, all those things will be considered when talks take place later this month, but I cannot anticipate the outcome of those talks.