§ Mr. Mathewasked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement on the progress made in implementing the exchange of letters on 25th July, 1958, between Her Majesty's Government and the Sultan of Muscat and Oman.
§ Mr. HeathUnder the exchange of letters of 25th July, 1958, Her Majesty's Government agreed to provide assistance for a civil development programme including road construction, medical and educational facilities and agricultural research and also for the strengthening of the Sultan's armed forces. Good progress has been made in both the civil and military fields and the position was reviewed by Her Majesty's Government and the Sultan during the summer of this year. It was agreed that there was need to expand the civil and military programmes. It is proposed to expand development in the fields of health, education and agriculture and to encourage improvements in various sectors of the economy, including fisheries, in addition to strengthening the Sultan's forces. Her Majesty's Government have undertaken to provide further assistance for these purposes. This will necessitate an increase in the annual grant-in-aid towards the capital and recurrent costs of civil development and of the Sultan's armed forces. The capital programme and expansion will be spread over four to five years, and the phasing has yet to be worked out in detail. Parliamentary authority will in due course be sought by way of a Supplementary Estimate for such extra funds as may be needed in the current financial year, and in the interim period any necessary advance would be made from the Civil Contingencies Fund. The total required in 1960–61, including the £500,000 already voted, is not expected to exceed £940,000.