§ Mr. James Davidsonasked the Minister of Overseas Development what is Great Britain's share of the £100 million debt relief pledged to India for 1969–70; and how its terms compare with those made by other members of the consortium.
§ Mr. PrenticeAt the recent India Consortium meeting in Paris members agreed that for 1969–70 $100 million (£42 million) of aid to India should be in the form of debt relief. Most members indicated their probable contributions, subject to the necessary governmental or parliamentary approvals, and these will be confirmed later in the year. The United Kingdom has agreed to contribute its full share of $18 million (£7.5 million) in the form of an interest-free debt refinancing loan repayable over 25 years with a grace period of seven years before repayments begin. For information about the terms on which donors contributed last year I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a Question from the hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. David Steel) on 12th May.—[Vol. 783, c. 149–50.]
§ Mr. James Davidsonasked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will state the amount of aid pledged to India for 1968–69 and for 1969–70, and the terms under which it has been made available.
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§ Mr. Prentice£35 million for 1968–69 and £38 million for 1969–70 in the form of interest-free loans repayable over 25 years with a grace period of seven years before the repayments begin.
§ Mr. James Davidsonasked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will state the proportions of the project and programme components of aid supplied to India in 1965 to 1969.
§ Mr. PrenticeDuring the four years between 1965–66 and 1968–69 the aid agreements between the United Kingdom and India have provided for non-project aid of £117.3 million (91 per cent.) and project aid of £11.7 million (9 per cent.).