§ 39. Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current level of aid in total and to each country in the West Indies.
§ Mr. RifkindIn the past financial year we provided £25.8 million bilateral aid for countries in the Commonwealth Caribbean. In addition £6.1 million was disbursed by the Commonwealth Development Corporation. Details of our aid to individual countries will be published in the Official Report.
We expect to provide a similar amount in total in the current financial year.
§ Mr. ProctorWill my hon. Friend tell the House whether there is any legislative bar to the use of aid funds to help those people from the West Indies who are here and wish to return to their own islands, or to spending the aid on new towns or training facilities in the West Indies, so that such people may take advantage of them when they get there?
§ Mr. RifkindI believe that the House would clearly expect that moneys voted for overseas aid would be used for overseas development. The wording of the relevant legislation is that such aid should be used for 663
promoting the development or maintaining the economy of a country or territory outside the United Kingdom or the welfare of its people".
§ Mr. DalyellCompare that £30 million with the £880 million price tag that is now put on Port Stanley airport. When the Minister for Overseas Development returns from the Falklands, will the Minister ask him what is his priority?
§ Mr. RifkindI believe that the hon. Gentleman speaks neither for the House nor the country when he makes such a point. The vast majority of people in the country recognise the obligations that we have properly undertaken in the south Atlantic.
§ Following are the details:
| British Bilateral Aid to the Commonwealth Caribbean 1981–82 | ||
| Country | Gross Public Expenditure | (of which CDC) £ |
| Anguilla | 1,341,619 | — |
| Antigua | 750,232 | — |
| Bahamas | 29,050 | — |
| Barbados | 4,627,584 | (4,000,000) |
| Belize | 3,814,269 | (150,000) |
| Bermuda | 2,648 | — |
| British Virgin Islands | 1,350,033 | — |
| Cayman Islands | 160,645 | — |
| Dominica | 1,480,776 | — |
| Grenada | 38,522 | — |
| Guyana | 1,761,020 | — |
| Jamaica | 6,989,372 | (1,572,000) |
| Montserrat | 1,350,470 | — |
| St. Kitts/Nevis | 735,797 | — |
| St. Lucia | 1,795,944 | (370,000) |
| St. Vincent | 825,548 | — |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 66,161 | — |
| Turks and Caicos | 4,776,784 | — |
| Total | 31,896,474 | (6,092,000) |