§ Mr. G. M. Thomsonasked the Lord Privy Seal why the British Information Centre at Addis Ababa was closed; what is the annual saving in foreign exchange; and whether he will now reconsider his decision.
§ Mr. HeathThe closing of the Information Centre at Addis Ababa was one of the economies made to meet the call by my right hon. Friend the then Chancellor of the Exchequer in July, 1961, for a 10 per cent. reduction in foreign exchange expenditure. The saving was about £7,000 a year. Some of the information work in Ethiopia has been taken over by other members of the Embassy staff and the work of the British Council has been expanded. In the circumstances, I see no reason to reconsider the decision.