§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the reply by the right hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten) to the hon. Member for Basildon of 21 June, Official Report, c. 18, if he will give as much information as is available as to the numbers of refugees who have been repatriated from Zimbabwe since April 1980 with British development assistance; which were the countries of destination; what has been the cost to public funds to date; what was the cost for each refugee; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Neil MartenNone. However, in response to an appeal by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, £1 million was provided in 1980 from the British aid programme to assist in meeting the cost of the return to Zimbabwe of those who, during the conflict prior to independence, had fled to neighbouring countries.
At the outset of the repatriation programme an estimated 250,000 refugees were living in camps, mainly in Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana. Some returned without assistance, but an estimated 70,000 were helped to return to Zimbabwe under the UNHCR programme.