§ 6 and 7. Mr. J. H. Osbornasked the Minister of Overseas Development (1) what estimate she has made of the number of industrial projects, involving local finance, British finance and joint finance, in developing countries assisted by her Department in 1969, the approximate cost and the form in which this outlay has been undertaken;
(2) what was the total value of the British aid programme in 1969, the value of Government aid, and the estimated value of British industrial investment in dew loping countries.
§ Mrs. HartI am sending the hon. Member copies of the last four issues of "Overseas Development", which include quarterly statements of outstanding bilateral grants and loans with indications of the purposes of the expenditure. I hope that this will give the hon. Member the information he is 670 seeking. The full figures for 1969 will not be available until February. I will write to the hon. Member when they are.
§ Mr. OsbornCould the Minister say, either now or when she writes to me, how much of the funds will go to industrial development as against infrastructure and other purposes? What is the policy of Her Majesty's Government at present in this direction?
§ Mrs. HartI would be glad to include in my letter to the hon. Gentleman a statement of our policy. As to the precise number of items of assistance and aid involved, this would be rather difficult to give because there are thousands of different items of expenditure. The amount of labour involved in collecting them together under these heads might be very great, but perhaps in my letter I shall be able to give the hon. Gentleman most of the information he needs.
§ Mr. HigginsWould the Minister agree that private industrial investment is an extremely important component in the total programme? Would she reconsider the Government's attitude towards insurance schemes against political risk, on a national and multi-national basis, to cover such private investments, as was envisaged in the Pearson recommendations?
§ Mrs. HartI agree with the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question. Indeed this has been recognised both by Pearson and by U.N.C.T.A.D. as including private investment as part of total flow. As for the second part of the question, the hon. Gentleman will have to put down another Question.