§ 3.18 p.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 whether they have reconsidered committing themselves to participation in the development plan sponsored by the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS), and, if so, whether such participation will take the form of aid for feasibility studies to be carried out by British firms: for the provision of technical experts; or towards the financing of identifiable hydro-agricultural projects.
§ Baroness LLEWELYN-DAVIES of HASTOEMy Lords, since the noble Lord first raised this matter he will be 1125 glad to know that we have considered further how we might support the Organisation. Our Ambassador at Dakar has had discussions with the High Commissioner of the OMVS. We have offered to provide planning experts for the Secretariat, and the OMVS has welcomed the offer of British assistance. Discussions are continuing and our help may well include feasibility studies which we should, of course, expect British firms or experts to carry out.
§ Lord MERRIVALEMy Lords, I thank the noble Baroness very much for her welcome statement, appreciating, too, our Ambassador's most helpful co-operation. However, may I ask her whether she will further consider that the ultimate aim of the development plan is also to put 400,000 hectares of irrigated land under a two-crop farming system; ensuring, too, an adequate food supply for the 2½ million people of the area? May I also ask whether Her Majesty's Government would be prepared to assist in hydro-agricultural projects, some units being no more than 15 hectares in area, others being of several hundred hectares; for instance, those at Dagana, Guédé, Matam and Bakel?
§ Baroness LLEWELYN-DAVIES of HASTOEYes, my Lords; we do indeed welcome the aims to which the noble Lord has referred. As he knows, it is an enormous project covering river ports, harbour installations and every other kind of site, and we should indeed be very glad if some of the help we have offered could be used to assist the development of the kind of projects he has mentioned.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, could the Minister say whether these projects include the scheme in Senegal for the building of a wall of trees along the Sahara to prevent its extension?
§ Baroness LLEWELYN-DAVIES of HASTOEMy Lords, I think that we all know of the noble Lord's interest in that project. Her Majesty's Government have always been in favour of it, but I am afraid that without notice I could not say whether we assist that project.
§ Lord MERRIVALEMy Lords, bearing in mind the very helpful answer of the 1126 noble Baroness, may I ask Her Majesty's Government whether in effect they will also recognise that the question of the installation of hydro-agricultural projects is one of the primary pre-occupations of the three States concerned—that is, Senegal, Mali and Mauritania—and that this was brought out very forcefully in the May 1976 report on the OMVS Programme?
§ Baroness LLEWELYN-DAVIES of HASTOEYes, indeed, my Lords; knowing of the noble Lord's interest I even took the trouble to look it up. It is on page 46.