§ 11.7 a.m.
§ LORD MERRIVALEMy Lords, 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 what is the present position regarding the proposal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa to establish an African Transport Institute at university level; what action they propose taking to ensure that the host country is a member of the Commonwealth in Africa; and whether they consider there is a need for such an Institute directed towards a concept of co-ordination of effort in the field of transport.]
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD CHAMPION)My Lords, the Secretariat of the Economic Commission for Africa has been seeking the views of interested Governments, including Her Majesty's Government, at official level, on the desirability of establishing such an Institute. Her Majesty's Government recognise the value of transport studies in Africa, but think that the proposal for a separate institute must be weighed against the possibility of expanding existing facilities in universities and technical colleges. The decison whether such an institute should be established, and if so where, will be for the Commission as a whole.
§ LORD MERR1VALEMy Lords, I am much obliged to the noble Lord for that reply, but in view of the need for developing and improving the transport system of individual African countries and groups of countries, and realising the shortage of technically qualified and managerial personnel, would not the 1922 noble Lord agree that these aims could best be achieved by a centralised institution of higher education catering for middle and higher cadres whose concept would be directed to the co-ordination of transport teaching taking in the various forms of transport?
§ LORD CHAMPIONMy Lords, we recognise the importance of transport in any developing country or continent. There are, as I have said, arguments both for an institute and for the expansion of existing facilities in institutes of higher education in Africa. We feel that transport studies need the collaboration of a number of separate academic disciplines; for example, engineering and economics. These are likely to be available in the existing universities and colleges, and we rather think that they should be expanded.