HC Deb 05 December 1950 vol 482 cc38-40W
Mr. T. Reid

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement showing the cash value of gifts made or promised by Britain since April, 1938, to each of the various international relief and other agencies and to each foreign country.

Mr. Gaitskell

Gifts made by His Majesty's Government to these agencies and countries, and future gifts covered by Parliamentary authority, are shown below. The list includes assistance given in kind to Allied countries during the 1939–45 war, but excludes regular contributions or subscriptions to international organisations, such as U.N.O. and its specialised agencies.

TABLE A
International Agencies
Relief and administrative
£ million
1. Contributions to International funds in connection with the civil war in Spain .2
2. Grants to voluntary societies for the administration of relief abroad .3
3. International Red Cross, Relief Fund for prisoners of war .2
4. Inter-governmental Committee on Refugees 1.2
5. International Refugee Organisation 21.8
6. United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration 153.2
7. United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund .1
8. United Nations Fund for Arab Refugees in Palestine 2.6
TOTAL TABLE A 179.6

TABLE B
Foreign Countries
(i) Gifts
£ million
1. Austria:
Before 1st April, 1946 10.0
Post-U.N.R.R.A 7.5
Surplus machine tools .1
2. Burma:
Cancellation of debt 15.0
British Military Administration expenditure (cancelled claim), etc. 21.0
3. China: Relief of distress (including grant to Friends' Ambulance Service) .2
4. Egypt: Grant in aid to cotton cultivators 2.1
5. Ethiopia: Assistance to Government 3.1
6. Greece:
Armed forces' initial equipment, maintenance, etc. 31.1
Surplus stores and relief supplies 2.0
Waiver of repayment of wartime advance 46.0
7. Hungary: Surplus machine tools .2
8. Iceland: Subsidy for support of Icelandic industries .2
9. Italy: Estimated value of surplus stores in excess of payments under financial agreement 55.0
10. Jordan: Assistance to Government 12.3
11. Netherlands: Estimated value of surplus stores in excess of payments under debt settlement 16.0
12. Palestine and Transjordan: Assistance to Government 42.8
13. Poland:
Welfare and social services 5.0
Surplus stores 6.0
14. Saudi Arabia:
Assistance to Government 12.7
Military supplies .8
15. Sudan: Welfare and development 2.0
16. Turkey: Relief of earthquake distress .1
17. U.S.S.R.: Provision of clothing to civilian population 2.4
18. Assistance to Polish refugees in neutral countries .8
19. Civil Affairs (not recoverable) 49.0
20. Ex-Italian colonies, cost of administration 13.5
21. Miscellaneous .6
Subtotal 357.5

(ii) Mutual/Reciprocal Aid furnished during the 1939–45 war
£ million
1. Belgium 24.0
2. China 11.0
3. Czechoslovakia 30.0
4 Denmark 1.0
5 France 106.0
6. Greece 34.0
7. Netherlands 14.0
8. Norway 7.0
9. Poland 228.0
10. Portugal 18.0

£ million
11. Turkey 32.0
12. U.S.A. 1,241.4
13. U.S.S.R 318.0
14. Yugoslavia 14.0
Subtotal 2.078.4

(iii) Intra-European Payments Agreement—net drawing rights exercised on United Kingdom
1. Austria 13.4
2. France 46.5
3. Western Germany 17.8
4. Greece 18.0
5. Turkey 11.8
Subtotal 107.5
(iv) European Payments Union—initial debit position 53.6
Subtotal 53.6
TOTAL, TABLE B 2,597.0
GRAND TOTAL 2,776.6
In addition, there have been cases of assistance in kind for which valuations are not available.