§ Mr. Brooksasked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will make a statement on the recent financial talks with the Government of Malawi.
§ Mr. PrenticeThese talks are held annually to discuss the British aid programme in Malawi. For 1968 the British Government have offered to provide the Malawi Government with a grant-in-aid of up to £3.3 million budgetary assistance together with the balance of development and other aid arising from our existing commitments to Malawi for the three years 1966–1968, details of which were given to the House on 21st December, 1965, and on 23rd November, 1966.
Further budgetary assistance will be made available within ceilings of £2.8 million in 1969 and £2.2 million in 1970, the actual maxima for each year to be fixed in annual negotiation.
The British Government have offered to provide an additional interest-free 148W loan of up to £100,000 to enable the Malawa Government to meet commutation payments in 1968 to officers designated under the Overseas Service Aid Scheme.
The British Government have also agreed to waive further repayments by the Malawi Government of interest-free loans totalling £592,305 made to the then Nyasaland Government to meet expenditure arising from the period of Emergency in 1960 and 1961.
The Malawi Government have accepted these offers of budgetary and other assistance.
Parliament will, in due course, be asked to provide the necessary funds.—[Vol. 722, c. 403–4; Vol. 736, c. 331–32.]