HC Deb 21 January 1969 vol 776 cc227-8
14. Dame Joan Vickers

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how much aid each of the remaining 20 colonies and dependencies in the Commonwealth is receiving from Her Majesty's Government.

Mr. Prentice

With permission, I will circulate the information in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The estimated total of £14.3 million includes financial aid, technical assistance and investment by the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

Dame Joan Vickers

As these countries are particularly loyal to the idea of the Commonwealth, will the Minister see that in future they get their fair share of aid so that they can develop on lines similar to those of the countries that are already independent?

Mr. Prentice

Yes, Sir. Provision for the remaining dependencies has been increasing. It was £9.6 million in 1966–67, £12.8 million in 1967–68, and £14.3 million in the current year.

Mr. R. C. Mitchell

Has my right hon. Friend taken note of the recent remarks of the Prime Minister of Singapore about ensuring that aid given to developing countries by Britain goes to the right places and is used for the right purposes?

Mr. Prentice

Yes, Sir. I not merely took note of the remarks but heard the speech at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference in which the remarks were made. They have been taken badly out of context in Press reports. The Prime Minister of Singapore was speaking of the need for greater self-reliance in developing countries, and I am sure that we would all agree with this. We take the greatest care to make sure that all aid provided by Britain is used for the purposes for which it is pro- vided, and it is not true that any of our aid goes for the provision of luxuries for Ministers or for any other improper purpose.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

Does the right hon. Gentleman recognise that in the case of the large flourishing Colony of Hong Kong, it is investment that is called for and is likely to show quick results? The United Kingdom Government can do a great deal to encourage this, for example, by helping over the proposal to enlarge the runway of the airport?

Mr. Prentice

In all the developing countries there is a need for both private investment and aid on a Government-to-Government basis. The exact ratio varies from one country to another.

The information is as follows:

Economic Aid: Estimated expenditure in dependencies, 1968–69
Territory £'000
Gibraltar 448
Rhodesia 40*
Seychelles 989
British Honduras 2,031
Bahamas 13
Bermuda 1
British Virgin Islands 505
Cayman Islands 146
Montserrat 272
St. Vincent 744
Turks & Caicos Islands 393
British Solomon Islands 3,095
Fiji (including Pitcairn) 2,065
Gilbert & Ellice Islands 506
New Hebrides 1,174
Tonga26; 332
Hong Kong 234
St. Helena (including Ascension and Tristan da Cunha) 354
Falkland Islands 53
Other† 921
14,316
NOTES
* Commonwealth Scholarships for students from Rhodesia.
† Includes £80,000 to the Banaban Community; £591,000 regional expenditure in the Caribbean; £250,000 for higher education which cannot be broken down by territory at present.