§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will detail steps taken by Her Majesty's Government in each of the last three years, or planned for the future, which are specifically designed to reduce the support now required for the recurrent budget of St. Helena and its dependencies so as to ensure that the colony's economy becomes self-sufficient.
§ Mr. Neil MartenThe chances of St. Helena becoming self-sufficient are remote. She has few natural resources, no industries and poor communications with the outside world. It has not been possible to reduce the level of budgetary aid support in the last three years. However, a budgetary and development aid review is in progress and it is hoped that ways of making better use of both development and budgetary support will be found.
Neither Ascension nor Tristan da Cunha require budgetary aid support.