§ Mr. McElhoneasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the economic viability of the Viphya pulpwood project in Malawi which has received about £3 million of British aid.
§ Mr. Neil MartenBritish aid funds have helped to establish and maintain a forest of about 130,000 acres of pines at Viphya in Malawi. This is a substantial natural resource which is expected to yield considerable benefits to Malawi in the future. The Malawi Government are seeking finance to establish a pulp mill which will make effective use of the forest in the long term. In the meantime, a joint United Kingdom/Malawi study is to be made of the potential for other complementary uses of the resource, such as timber production, which would produce a short-term return to the economy.
§ Mr. McElhoneasked the Lord Privy Seal how many British teachers have been sent to Malawi under the aid programme.
§ Mr. Neil MartenBetween 1976 and 1978 a total of 698 British teachers—of which 285 were university staff—were financed under the United Kingdom aid programme to Malawi at a cost of £3.8 million. At 30 September 1979 there were 148 British teachers in post, of whom 59 were university staff.