HC Deb 23 June 1982 vol 26 cc115-9W
Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will state the countries to which the Tropical Products Institute and Centre for Overseas Pest Research sent training teams to other institutes and the originating countries of members attending courses run by these bodies in the United Kingdom in the course of the last year in both cases;

(2) if he will list the names of the countries from which Governments or institutions requested research projects, advice or assistance from the Tropical Products Institute and the Centre for Overseas Pest Research in the last year, indicating those from whom fees or other payments were received.

Mr. Neil Marten

Countries to which training teams were sent in 1981–82 are shown in the following table. The same table shows the countries of origin of participants in courses run in this country by the Tropical Products Institute—the Centre for Overseas Pest Research did not run any courses of its own—and countries which requested advice or assistance, including research. In general, fees were not charged, but where assistance was provided under contract with another donor—for example, the Food and Agriculture Organisation or the European Community—this is also shown in the table.

Table: Activities in and for Different Countries 1981–82
Country of Origin
Algeria BC
Antigua C
Argentina BC
Bahrein C
Bangladesh BCD
Barbados BC
Belize C
Benin C
Bolivia C
Botswana C
Brazil ABCD
Brunei C
Burma ABC
Burundi C
Cameroon BC
Chile C
China AC
Colombia C
Congo Republic C
Costa Rica BC
Cuba C
Cyprus C
Comoro Islands C
Cook Islands C
Dominica CD
Dominican Republic BC
Ecuador C
Egypt BCD
El Salvador BC
Ethiopia ABCD
Fiji C
Gabon C
Gambia, The BC
Ghana C
Grenada C
Guatemala C
Guinea Bissau C
Guyana C
Haiti C
Honduras BCD
Hong Kong BC
India ABC
Indonesia BCD
Iran C
Ivory Coast C
Jamaica C
Jibuti C
Jordan B

Country of Origin
Kenya BCD
Kiribati C
Korea (South) AC
Lebanon AC
Lesotho C
Liberia BCD
Libya C
Malawi BCD
Malaysia C
Mali CD
Malta C
Mauritania C
Mauritius ABCD
Mexico C
Montserrat C
Morocco C
Mozambique C
Nepal BCD
Nicaragua C
Nigeria BCD
Oman CD
Pakistan ABCD
Panama C
Papua, New Guinea C
Paraguay C
Peru C
Philippines ABCD
Puerto Rico C
Qatar C
Rwanda C
St. Helena C
St. Lucia BCD
St. Kitts BC
Saudi Arabia C
Senegal C
Seychelles C
Sierra Leone BC
Singapore BC
Solomon Islands CD
Somalia C
Sri Lanka BCD
Sudan ABCD
Surinam C
Swaziland C
Syria AC
Tahiti C
Tanzania BCD
Thailand BC
Tonga BC
Trinidad and Tobago BC
Turkey C
Turks and Caicos Islands C
Tuvalu C
Uganda BC

£0OOs
1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 (Provisional)
TPI COPR TPI COPR TPI COPR
Gross costs to overseas Aid Vote 3,531 1,579 3,988 1,826 4,222 2,158
Costs of services covered by other votes 782 426 883 493 835 583

Country of Origin
United Arab Emirates C
Upper Volta CD
Uruguay C
Vanuatu C
Venezuela CD
Vietnam C
Western Samoa C
Yemen AR C
Yemen PDR C
Zaire CD
Zambia BC
Zimbabwe C
A = Training teams sent.
B = Trainees attended courses at the Tropical Products Institute.
C = Advice or assistance sought from the Tropical Products Institute and/or Centre for Overseas Pest Research.
D = Received assistance from the Tropical Products Institute and/or Centre for Overseas Pest Research for which fees or other payments were made under contract with an international organisation.

Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the names of United Kingdom institutions, universities, public bodies, or firms seeking advice from the Tropical Products Institute and Centre for Overseas Pest Research, respectively, indicating those from which fees or costs were recovered in the last financial year.

Mr. Neil Marten

In 1981–82 the TPI received 445 requests for advice from a wide range of United Kingdom institutions. Fees were or will be charged for any work involving a significant cost to the institute. Contracts with United Kingdom institutions were made in 1981–82 with Cadbury Ltd., the United Kingdom Tea Trade Committee, McKechnie Chemicals Ltd., Falconwood Ltd., J. H. Rayner Ltd., Cooper and Lybrandt Associates Ltd., the Commonwealth Forestry Institute and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The COPR does not record such inquiries centrally but had a substantial number of contacts with universities usually of a collaborative or reciprocal character for which the charging of fees was considered inappropriate. Shell (International) contributed to the costs of a COPR publication on termites.

Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the gross and net costs of the Tropical Products Institute and Centre for Overseas Pest Research, indicating the respective sources of income and its trend in the last three years and prospects for the future.

Mr. Neil Marten

Gross and net costs of the Tropical Products Institute and Centre for Overseas Pest Research over the past three financial years are estimated as follows:

1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 (Provisional)
TPI COPR TPI COPR TPI COPR
Total gross costs 4,313 2,005 4,871 2,319 5,057 2,741
Receipts 115 33 87 34 303 70
Net costs 4,198 1,972 4,784 2,285 4,754 2,671

The Estimates provision in the Aid Vote for 1982–83 is £4,540,515 (Tropical Products Institute) and £2,103,543 (Centre for Overseas Pest Research). Receipts are from contract work, the sale of publications and training fees. Future prospects depend upon decisions on policy issues currently under review.