§ 83. Mr. C. Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give particulars of the education plans recently put into operation in the Seychelles and of the success of its operation to date.
Mr. Creech JonesI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the plans for educational development which form part of the ten-year development plans for Seychelles. These plans, which include a provisional estimate of £150,000 for education, have not yet been finally worked out in local discussion.
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§ Mr. C. Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give details of the ten-year plan for the Seychelles, in particular with regard to the amount available from Colonial development and welfare funds and the methods of raising finance in addition to those amounts.
Mr. Creech JonesThe Seychelles Development plan envisages a total expenditure during the next ten years of some £375,000, of which £250,000 is the Colony's allocation under the Colonial Development and Welfare Act. The preliminary plan, which has yet to be elaborated in local discussions, includes £150,000 to be devoted to the expansion of educational services. A further £140,000 is provisionally allotted to health services including not only hospitals and health centres, but also such measures of indirect benefit to health as reclamation and road improvements in Victoria, water supplies, sewerage and a cattle importation scheme designed to increase milk production. Other proposals include expenditure on land settlement, reafforestation, fisheries, public buildings, and smaller sums for harbour extensions, additional staff and further road improvements designed to encourage tourist traffic.