HC Deb 24 July 1956 vol 557 cc26-7W
Mr. Fenner Brockway

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what detailed services will be affected by the Proposed economies in Government expenditure relating to Class II, Vote 5, Commonwealth Relations Office; Vote 6, Commonwealth Services; and Vote 11, Development and Welfare, Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, &c.

Commander Noble

The proposed economies in expenditure for which the Commonwealth Relations Office is responsible are to be effected as follows:

(i) Commonwealth Relations Office. General savings of some £70,000 on administrative costs, including travelling and office expenses and communications.

(ii) Commonwealth Services. A saving of the order of £80,000 on Colombo Plan expenditure. This includes £9,000 no longer required for the Colombo Plan Exhibition in Ceylon, which has been postponed.

(iii) Development and Welfare, Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, etc. It is hoped to restrict demands on the Exchequer under this head in the current financial year to £1,320,000, without affecting any individual services. This reduction of £60,000 does not represent a reduction in the total sum available under the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts for development in the Federation and the High Commission Territories up to 1960, nor any slowing down in the rate of development for which provision was made in the Estimates.

Mr. Fenner Brockway

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what detailed services will be affected by the proposed economies in Government expenditure relating to Class II, Vote 9, Colonial Services; and Vote 10, Development and Welfare, Colonies, etc.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

The economy proposed in Class II, Vote 9, Colonial Services, is a reduction of £1 million in the provision for loan assistance towards expenditure arising out of the emergency in Kenya. After a review of its latest financial situation and having regard to the assistance which Her Majesty's Government has given and is continuing to give to Kenya, the Kenya Government decided that it could and should accept a reduction of £1 million in the loan element out of a total of £4 million grant and £2 million loan which Her Majesty's Government orginally agreed to provide, should the need for it arise.

The proposed economies in Vote 10 do not represent a reduction in the total sum which Parliament has made available under the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts for Colonial development up till 1960, nor do they mean that there will be any slowing down in the rate of Colonial development. The effect will be to restrict demands on the Exchequer in the current financial year to not more than £17¼ millions, but it is not expected that this will affect individual projects.

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