§ 2.35 p.m.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYLords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government—
- (1) What is the total sum that has been expended by the Kenya Government under
- (a) the Yeoman Farmer and Small Holding Land Settlement Scheme of 1961, and
- (b) the Million Acre Scheme of 1962 on buying land from European owners, and
- (2) What is the total sum, under these two heads, expended on the settlement of Africans on that land.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COLONIAL AFFAIRS (THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE)My Lords, the total sum expended by the Kenya Government on buying land from European owners, as at April 30, was just under £3 million. This was comprised as follows: Yeoman Farmer and Smallholder Schemes, £884,000; Million Acre Scheme, £2,114,000. In the same period, £477,000 had been expended on the settlement of Africans on that land.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, is the £477,000 the total sum that has been spent on the settlement under these three schemes?
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEMy Lords, it is the total sum of money spent on settlement under the three different types of settlement scheme.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I am not quite clear about this. The noble Marquess put tremendous emphasis on the word "settlement". Is there any other expenditure involved?
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEMy Lords, I simply answered the Question which was put to me by my noble friend, who asked me how much had been spent on settlement, to which I replied, £477,000. There is, of course, a large discrepancy between the amount of £3 million and £477,000. The £3 million has been spent on buying the land, and up to date £477,000 has been spent on the settlement of the land, for reasons which I think the noble Marquess will guess.
§ LORD COLYTONMy Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether he is aware of the vital importance of finding markets for the produce of these new African settlers, for it is mainly horticultural produce? Unless you find markets for this produce the whole of these African settlement schemes are going to fail.
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEMy Lords, of course Her Majesty's Government are aware of the importance of outlets for Kenyan produce; but I do not think I can be expected to enlarge upon the subject., unless the noble Lord puts down a separate Question. It has not any particular bearing, I think, on this one.