§ 21. Mr. Dixonasked the Minister of State for Defence what was the total amount of defence expenditure and overseas aid in Malta in 1970 ; what estimate has been supplied to him of the money spent by personnel of Her Majesty's forces in Malta in 1970 ; and what he estimates to be the total expenditure under these three headings in 1971 on the assumption that the Government of Malta does not 709 abrogate its defence agreement with the United Kingdom.
§ Lord BalnielAs the Answer contains a number of figures I will, with permission, arrange for it to be printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. DixonWill my right hon. Friend agree that most hon. Members deplore the gross discourtesy displayed by Mr. Mintoff in unilaterally cancelling the visit to Malta last night of my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Defence? Now that Mr. Mintoff has abrogated unilaterally our defence agreement with him, and since Malta is now virtually of no military value at all, should not we immediately cancel all overseas aid to that country?
§ Lord BalnielAs my hon. Friend raises the wider issue of the 1964 Agreement on financial assistance, and as a statement is to be made later today by my right hon. Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, I ask my hon. Friend to await that statement.
§ Following is the information :
| Financial years | ||
| 1970–71£m | 1970–72£m | |
| Local defence expenditure other than personal spending* | 1.2 | 1.9 |
| Personal spending† | 12.7 | 10.6 |
| Overseas aid under the 1964 Agreement on Financial Assistance‡ | 11.2 | 5.0 |
| * Defined as in Annex B, Table 6, of Cmnd. 4592. | ||
| † Including cost of locally engaged personnel, and net of receipts from N.A.A.F.I., etc. | ||
| ‡ Seventy-five per cent. grant and 25 per cent. loan in each year. The figures exclude £27,000 technical assistance in each year. The Agreement on Financial Assistance was published as Cmnd. 3111. |