§ Mr. MACLEANasked the President of the Board of Trade how much money has been set aside for overseas development; how much has been expended; and the number of people settled?
§ Mr. AMERYI have been asked to reply. The Empire Settlement Act, 1922, fixes the maximum expenditure by the Secretary of State on schemes of assistance agreed under the. Act at £3,000,000 in any one year. Actual expenditure from Imperial Funds is governed by the requirements of agreed schemes in which a minimum of one half of the cost is provided by oversea Governments or Organisations with which the Secretary 503W of State has power to co-operate. The total amount expended since the date of the Act is £1,245,954, and the number of persons who have received assistance is approximately 131,000. I may add that under the Free Passage Scheme for ex-service men and women which was sanctioned in April, 1919, and came to an end in December, 1922, 86,175 persons were assisted at a cost of £2,419,410.