HL Deb 28 April 1970 vol 309 c1030WA
LORD BARNBY

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What financial aid or subvention has been granted to Lesotho since Independence, and what further commitment exists.

LORD SHEPHERD

The financial aid actually issued in the period up to March 31, 1970, was as follows: —

  1. (i) Grants of £ 9.279 million for budgetary aid and £ 2.923 million for development aid.
  2. (ii) Interest-free loans of £ 243,199 and £ 164,302 to enable the Lesotho Government to meet its share respectively of compensation and commutation of pensions payments to expatriate officers.
  3. (iii) An interest-free loan of £ 123,000 for electricity supply purposes.
  4. (iv) Technical assistance totalling approximately £ 0.8 million.

An offer of further budgetary and development aid totalling £ 7.125 million, plus technical assistance, for the three-year period commencing April, 1970, was made following financial discussions with the Lesotho Government held at the Ministry of Overseas Development in December, 1969, but this offer, which had not been formally accepted prior to recent events in Lesotho, is in suspense.