§ 2.46 p.m.
§ Lord HYLTONMy 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 will sponsor an exhibition 7 of British civil goods and services suitable for use in developing countries on a scale comparable to the current British Army Equipment Exhibition.
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, there are already many exhibitions at home and overseas featuring British civil goods suitable for developing countries, which buyers from those countries attend.
§ Lord HYLTONMy Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that Answer. However, does he not agree that there would be some merit in concentrating the present exhibitions in one place? Would this not also be very much in accordance with the recommendations of the Brandt Commission Report, and would it not follow on from the discussions recently held at the Venice Economic Summit?
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, I think that the Brandt Commission Report was concerned more with providing the resources for these purchases, than with displaying the goods, or persuading the developing countries which goods they ought to purchase. As for the suggestion of a single venue for such an exhibition, I believe that the interests of the developing countries are best served by giving them a wide choice of specialist exhibitions.
§ Lord AVEBURYMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether the exhibitions to which he refers are on the same scale, and are supported with the same extensive back-up by the Government, as the recent defence sales exhibition in Aldershot? If that is so, can the noble Lord very kindly tell the House how much was spent by the Ministry of Defence on that exhibition, and which exhibitions concerned with sales to developing countries are supported on a comparable scale?
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, Government support for exhibitions of the type referred to in the Question exceeds £13 million a year, which is substantially more than the costs of the particular exhibition referred to.
§ Baroness LLEWELYN—DAVIES of HASTOEMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether the Government, 8 before drafting the Answer, consulted the Crown Agents, who are quite particularly engaged in that kind of endeavour?
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, the Answer is of course drafted by all relevant departments.
§ Lord HYLTONMy Lords, will my noble friend consider whether or not support can be given to British civil goods for developing countries to an extent comparable to the support now given to military sales, which I understand are backed up by some 400 civil servants working for the defence sales organisation?
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, my noble friend is misinformed. Government support for the general classes of exhibition to which I referred substantially exceeds the support for the exhibitions to which my noble friend has referred.
Lord HAWKEMy Lords, will Her Majesty's Government consider a suggestion that I have made more than once in the past; namely, that this aid to developing countries should be on a lease—lend basis, rather than on a cash or loan basis?—because, as Her Majesty's Government well know, almost to a man these countries are completely broke.
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, of course we have to consider all our aid arrangements on their merits and have regard to the facts in each particular case. I should not want to make a general arrangement such as my noble friend suggests.