§ Lord BARNBYasked Her Majesty's Government:
With regard to an additional advance of £8 million (recently reported in the Press) to Tanzania, whether payment of this will be held up until cessation of aggressive external military action; and what, if any, authorisation for payment of this sum, other than that of the Minister herself, is required.
§ Baroness LLEWELYN-DAVIES of HASTOEAid of £8.4 million on grant terms has recently been approved for a health sector project in Southern Tanzania including the rebuilding and re-equipping of the hospital at Mbeya to form the first referral hospital in Southern Tanzania, the building of six rural health centres, and the provision of transport and medical equipment for the national tuberculosis and leprosy programme. The project will cover a population of over 4 million of the poorest people in Tanzania, and there is certainly no question whatever of holding it up.
1887WAThe money will not be made available as a cash advance. In accordance with usual aid procedure costs incurred in Tanzania will be repaid on receipt of detailed accounts, and payment for goods shipped from Britain will be made on receipt of shipping documents. British consultant architects will supervise building work at the hospital and a team of medical experts and administrators will assist the Tanzanian authorities in the implementation of the project.
This sum is contained within a total grant of £31.5 million promised to Tanzania in 1977. The project will be implemented over a five-year period and provision for each year's expenditure under this grant will be included in Appendix I of Subhead C2 of the Estimates of the Ministry of Overseas Development.