§ Sir T. Beamishasked the Minister of Overseas Development what has been the total cost to date and what is his estimate of the cost, in 1967–68, shown under suitable headings, of all direct and indirect assistance being given to South Vietnam under the Colombo Plan or in
1964 1965 1966 Provisional 1.1.67–31.3.67 Current Estimates 1967/8 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Technical Assistance under Colombo Plan … … 9 19 94 46 155 Financial Aid Grants … … 8 19 38 14 1 Police Training (British Advisory Mission) … … 48 52 52 13 82 65 90 184 73 238 Vietnam also shared the benefit with Laos, Thailand and Cambodia of experts and equipment for the improvement of navigation on the Mekong provided by Her Majesty's Government between 1964 and 1966; £56,000 of the equipment was specifically destined for Vietnam.
British Council expenditure has totalled about £35,000 per anum since 1964, and includes lecturers at the University of Saigon, English language teaching and a large library.
As regards the future, a fresh survey of the fields in which further assistance might be furnished is in progress in the light both of recent requests from the Government of South Vietnam and of all other relevant factors.
§ Sir T. Beamishasked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will offer to staff a teacher training college in South Vietnam as a token of British support for United States policy and as a contribution to British obligations under the Colombo plan and the South East Asia Treaty Organisation.
§ Mr. BottomleyA proposal for a technical teachers training college in rural crafts in South Vietnam, to be built, equipped and staffed by Britain has been under consideration for some time. A full feasibility survey of this major pro-
286Wother ways; and what proposals he has to increase this help.
§ Mr. BottomleyThe approximate total cost of the bilateral assistance given by Her Majesty's Government to South Vietnam from 1st January, 1964 to 31st March, 1967 was £412,000 and current estimated expenditure for 1967–68 £238,000. The breakdown is as follows:
ject, as then conceived, was carried out in March, 1966 by a qualified expert appointed by my Department. But, in the light of practical difficulties revealed both at that time and subsequently, and of other recent priority requests for assistance from the South Vietnamese Government, it was decided that decided that this particular project was not one which should in present circumstances have a high claim on available British aid funds. Nor would it seem practicable to attempt to recruit British staff, except as part of an overall British project; and we have not received any request from the Vietnamese Government that we should do so.