Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Minister of Overseas Development what steps she is taking to assist the economic development of Gibraltar.
§ Mrs. CastleUnder the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts £1 million is being made available by way of grant over the next three years for general development in Gibraltar, with a further £200,000 in loans, should they be required. Schemes submitted by the Gibraltar Government for the use of part of the grant have already been approved, and others are under consideration.
The Commonwealth Development Corporation hopes to present this week the report of its two experts who visited Gibraltar to advise on the setting up of a development corporation. The costs of this visit as well as the greater part of the costs of the Gibraltar Study Group, a consortium of British and Gibraltar companies which is presently preparing a comprehensive development plan for the territory are being met from the Vote for Bilateral Aid. I hope that the latter report will be in the hands of the Gibraltar Government in about six weeks' time. We have also undertaken to recruit and pay a land use expert for a year's work in Gibraltar, and to provide training in this country for eleven civil servants from the territory.
One of the housing advisers to my Ministry has recently visited Gibraltar and his report is now being studied by the Government there.