§ Mr. Norrisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to help control the devastation being caused by locusts and other pests in Africa.
§ The Minister for Overseas Development (Mr. Chris Patten)Last month I committed over £1.5 million for pesticides, sprayers, vehicles and spares to combat the current desert locust upsurge in eastern Africa. I have agreed to today to provide a further .567,000 for locust and grasshopper control in the Gambia, Mali and Sudan. This is in addition to the £3 million the Government provided last year to help to control locusts and other pests in Africa. We stand ready to provide more help if needed.
§ Mr. NorrisDoes my hon. Friend agree that the locust and grasshopper devastation in central Africa, all the way from Senegal to Djibouti, wreaked untold damage on the fragile economies of those countries? Does he agree that although his news today is welcome, we must do all that we can to combat those serious attacks on the economies of central Africa?
§ Mr. PattenI very much agree with my hon. Friend, whose remarks underline the importance of supporting the regional organisations working on the control of locusts. I was pleased to visit the desert locust control organisation a couple of weeks ago, which we support and will continue to support.