§ Mr. Peter M. Jacksonasked the Minister of Overseas Development whether he will provide a table for the years 1965 to 1968 setting out the aid given to recipient countries by grants and loans; and indicate the rate of interest payable on each loan.
§ Mr. PrenticeThis information, up to 1967, is set out inBritish Aid Statistics, copies of which are available in the Library. The 1965 figures are in Table 19 (pages 24 to 31) of the 1967 edition and the 1966 and 1967 figures in Table 20 (pages 28 to 35) of the 1968 edition. Details for 1968 will be sent to my hon. Friend as soon as they are complete.
About 90 per cent. of loan commitments (excluding lending by the Commonwealth Development Corporation) since 1965 have been interest-free, while the remainder have carried interest at the current Exchequer rate, waived in some cases for varying initial periods. A breakdown of figures is given in the various editions of British Aid Statistics, i.e. Table 19 in the 1966 edition for 1965 commitments, Table 17 in the 1967 edition for 1966 commitments and Table 9 in the 1968 edition for 1967 commitments.
353WThe schedule to the Vote for Overseas Aid (Bilateral) (Class II.7 in 1968–69) indicates the interest applicable to each loan for which provision is sought.