HL Deb 04 July 1989 vol 509 cc1062-4

2.48 p.m.

Lord Merrivale asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they propose granting assistance or aid to Madagascar for the infrastructures necessitated there due to the recent extensive Pullman International Hotels and Savana tourist investment programme.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Glenarthur)

My Lords, our bilateral technical co-operation programme is fully committed. There is no separate bilateral capital aid programme, but we contribute to development in Madagascar through the United Kingdom share of multilateral aid.

Lord Merrivale

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that brief, and not terribly satisfactory, Answer. However, does he not agree that as the infrastructures include the extension of airports, roads, electricity and water supplies and telecommunication networks, any assistance given by Her Majesty's Government would also greatly benefit British industry? Is it not looking rather narrowly at this question not to consider the whole potential of Madagascar regarding tourism?

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, I certainly agree with my noble friend that there are commercial opportunities in Madagascar, and I can assure him that British companies are following developments there.

Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos

My Lords, in addition to that, is it not the case that the population of Madagascar suffers from extreme poverty, and currently from a virulent epidemic of malaria? Can the noble Lord tell the House what assistance has been given by the multinational agencies to which he referred—for example, the World Bank—and whether that aid has been given for specific purposes?

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, I am of course aware of the poverty and the epidemics in Madagascar. Our contributions are largely made through the International Development Association, which is part of the World Bank, as the noble Lord will know, and through the European Development Fund. Indeed, approaches have been made to those organisations by the Malagasy authorities. As I understand it, our contributions to those two bodies amount to about £12 million.

Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos

My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Lord can say how much money has in fact been paid over the past two years to the Madagascar Government by the agency.

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, I cannot give the total figure in this respect. As I have said, our contribution amounts to about £12 million. However, so far as concerns our bilateral technical co-operation programme—which is our only bilateral mechanism for providing aid and is not focused quite in the way suggested by the noble Lord—that amounts to about £400,000.

Lord Merrivale

My Lords, as the noble Baroness, Lady Trumpington, will be visiting Madagascar in August of this year, and as I know that her department is interested in water supply, can my noble friend the Minister say whether she will at least undertake to see the Foreign Minister, Mr. Jean Bemananjara, who is closely associated with this vast project?

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, I am sure that on her visit my noble friend will take the opportunity to see many of those Ministers, and others, who are associated with the development of Madagascar. I am also sure that she will have noted my noble friend's remarks.

The Earl of Onlsow

My Lords, perhaps my noble friend will be kind enough to look at the Question. It concerns the, Pullman International Hotels and Savana tourist investment programme". Can my noble friend ensure that no British taxpayer will be asked to subsidise the shareholdings of those people? If the people want to develop the programme, they should do so out of their own resources and not out of the resources of the less well-off in Newcastle and the British taxpayer.

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, perhaps that is one of the reasons why we try to focus our aid in rather different directions. It does not mean to say that the sort of development which is taking place, and the opportunities referred to by my noble friend Lord Merrivale, are not important. That is why individual British companies are looking to try to develop them.