§ Mr. Harold Daviesasked the Lord Privy Seal what aid in men, money and materials Her Majesty's Government have made to the Mekong Valley Development Scheme.
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§ Mr. HeathHer Majesty's Government have given or pledged the sum of £130,000, under the Technical Co-operation scheme of the Colombo Plan, to the Mekong Valley Development Project. Material already supplied or about to be supplied consists of a fifty-foot survey launch and a quantity of meteorological equipment, the cost of which amounts to £33,000. The remainder (£97,000) will be spent over the next three years on material and equipment to mark and improve the channels from Luang Prabang to Savannakhet and from Kratie to the sea (including supplies necessary for embankment), equipment for marking the channel from the Cambodian/Vietnamese border to the sea, equipment for one radio station, and twelve shore lights and office equipment for hydro-graphic services in Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Vientiane, including punting equipment and supplies. In addition, a contribution will be made to the United Nations Bureau of Technical Assistance Operations Hydrographic Survey for the Navigation Improvement Project. No United Kingdom personnel have yet been called upon to participate in the Scheme but it is possible that United Kingdom experts will be asked to assist with the work on the embankment.