§ Mr. N. Nicolsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the technical assistance which Her Majesty's Government propose to give towards economic devclopment in the member countries of the Bagdad Pact.
§ Mr. Dodds-ParkerThe Economic Secretary to the Treasury announced at the Tehran meeting of the Bagdad Pact Economic Committee that Her Majesty's Government were willing to contribute a sum of £250,000, to be available over a period of five years for technical assistance to approved projects designed to increase the economic wellbeing of the Bagdad Pact area. Her Majesty's Government have also undertaken to contribute equipment and provide a director and other staff for a proposed Atomic Training Centre at Bagdad, and to give initial training in the United Kingdom for teachers for the Centre, at an estimated total cost of £30,000 in the current financial year.
Her Majesty's Government therefore propose, subject to the approval of Parliament, to provide for expenditure during the present financial year of a sum of £50,000 for technical assistance and a further £30,000 for the Atomic Training Centre. These amounts will be included in the Supplementary Estimates to be laid before Parliament in July. In anticipation of the Supplementary Estimates advances will be made from the Civil Contingencies Fund.