§ Mr. Ellis Smithasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out in tabular form the amount of British investment, grant and loans, respectively, made by the United Kingdom Government to Commonwealth countries and Colonies respectively, from 1946 to 1951, inclusive, and from 1952 to 1961, inclusive; and if he will give separately the figures for loans made by the Export Credits Department and for intergovernmental loans for the same two periods.
§ Mr. Barber:The United Kingdom Government have incurred the following expenditure by way of loans and grants provided for economic and technical assistance to Commonwealth countries and Colonial Territories in the periods shown:
— 1945–46 to 1950–51 inclusive 1951–52 to 1960–61inclusive £ million £ million Independent Commonwealth Countries: Grants Nil 26 Loans Nil 99 Total Nil 125 Colonial territories: Grants 76 351 Loans 17 139 Total 93 490 Of the loans to independent Commonwealth countries, £2 million represented funds channelled through the Colonial Development Corporation and technical assistance loans. The remaining £97 million was drawn under loans made through the Export Credits Guarantee Department. All except the Colonial Development Corporation Funds have been provided on a Government to Government basis.
84WNone of the loans to Colonial Territories has been made through the Export Credits Guarantee Department. All of them have been provided on a Government to Government basis except
- (i) funds channelled through the Colonial Development Corporation, which amounted to £13 million in the first period and £62 million in the second period;
- (ii) a relatively small amount provided by the United Kingdom Government direct to Bailey (Malta) Ltd. in the second period.