§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will tabulate the amount of grant in aid, other aids or grants and shipping support, respectively, made to the colony of St. Helena in each year from 1978 to 1983.
§ Mr. RaisonThe figures are as follows:
transport of fish products in and from St. Helena since 1979; and if he will make a statement concerning prospects for commercial fisheries on that island.
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§ Mr. RaisonAssistance for the development of fisheries between 1979 and 1983 totalled over £0.5 million, channelled to or through the St. Helena Fisheries Corporation. Commitments included the cost of cold store equipment and buildings and equipment for cutting and drying of fish. In addition, we have recently allocated £0.420 million for a new inshore fisheries project to help increase productive employment and local revenue. A proposal for an offshore fisheries survey with a possible view to ultimate commercial exploitation is also under consideration.
§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support Her Majesty's Government have given to the development of agriculture on the island of St. Helena for each of the years 1979 to 1983; and if he will state the nature of any current or future programme.
§ Mr. RaisonAssistance provided for the development of agriculture is as follows:
£'000 1978–79 75 1979–80 77 1980–81 200 1981–82 187 1982–83 195 1983–84 293 Much of the assistance has been for land clearance and reclamation for agricultural purposes, including afforestation. Water supply problems continue to impose a major constraint on agricultural production, and experts are currently visiting St. Helena to help develop a scheme to improve arrangements for water storage and irrigation on the island.
§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what results have flowed from the visit of a fisheries adviser to St. Helena in 1983; and what plans have been made for developing fishery resources around St. Helena.
§ Mr. RaisonA project costing £420,000 has been approved to help develop the island's inshore fisheries industry. The possibility of mounting a survey to examine offshore fisheries resources is under consideration.
§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what results have flowed from the experiments in forestry at the trial plots established at Levelwood and Dorkey Plains, St. Helena, in 1980 and from the visit of Mr. Goodenough, of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, in 1983;
(2) how many farmers are currently being assisted on St. Helena with (a) loans and capital grants and (b) part wages to develop and exploit their own land;
(3) what is the value and the number of house construction and repair loans made in St. Helena in each of the financial years 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983–84; what
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Department Men Percentage aged under 25 years Women Percentage aged under 25 years Speaker's Office 10 — 3 33 Clerk's 88 2.3 52 25 Serjeant's 130 6.2 87 2.3 is the average cost of such construction; and how this compares with public works department direct construction costs for comparable houses;
(4) what is the value of handicrafts marketed by the St. Helena Handicrafts Authority in the latest year for which figures are available; what is the authority's financial position; and what steps are being taken currently to encourage handicrafts.
§ Mr. RaisonI will write to my hon. Friend once the information requested is to hand.