§ Mr. Stuart Hollandasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will present figures showing actual aid disbursements since 1979 and forecast aid spending in each year up to 1985 in 1979 monetary values.
§ Mr. RaisonThe figures for aid disbursements are given in financial years as it is on this basis that expenditure is forecast.
Net aid programme Year Cash Constant prices—1979–80 1978–79 715 836 1979–80 784 784 1980–81 885 746 1981–82 959 735 1982–83 965 693 1983–84 1,022 *696 1984–85 1,099 †714 1985–86 1,130 †1704 * Estimated. † Forecast. Notes:
The constant price figures up to 1982–83 reflect GDP deflators on price indices as published by the Central Statistical Office. For years up to 1985–86 GDP deflators are those published in the Financial Statement and Budget Reports (March 1984).
The forecast net aid expenditure figures for 1984–85 and 1985–86 are taken from the White Paper on Public Expenditure (Cmnd. 9143). Section 2.2 on page 13 of volume II of the white Paper explains that the ODA's actual spending ceiling (the gross aid programme) is the net aid programme plus the repayments of capital on past aid loans which can
£ Million Cash 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84* Department of Industry: Grants and expenditure towards industrial investment† n/a 72 100 126 102 86 Manpower Services Commission‡ n/a n/a n/a 53 67 89 Housing Corporation║ 38 36 41 44 55 53 Merseyside Development Corporation(established 1981–82) — — — 6 21 32 Department of Transport: Grants, loans and guarantees to Mersey Docks and Harbour Company — — — 26 71 40 New Town (Skelmersdale and Runcorn): Gross capital investment 19 19 18 15 12 16 Historic buildings and conservation grants: offers made 0 0 1 1 1 3 Sports Council grants 0 0 0 0 1 1 Derelict Land grants¶ n/a 1 2 3 7 10 Urban Programme grant● 2 5 10 11 15 18 Notes to table:
Including rate support grant and other regular Exchequer assistance for local authority expenditure, and also finance for the NHS but not social security etc., the total sums made available by the central Government for Merseyside have exceeded £1,000 million in each of the last 3 years.
* Estimated outturn.
312Wbe recycled as new aid grants or loans. For 1984–85 loans these recycled loan repayments are expected to amount to £75 million and the gross aid programme is expected to total £1,174 million.