HC Deb 24 October 1985 vol 84 cc240-2W
Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to fill the post of Director of the Tropical Development and Research Institute; what minimum qualifications he expects of candidates in (a) science and (b) tropical experience; and what advertisement has been, or is being, given to the vacancy.

Mr. Raison

An open competition was held earlier this year to try and identify a suitable successor to the present Director of the Tropical Development and Research Institute who is approaching retirement. The vacancy was widely advertised in the appropriate journals. The competition unfortunately failed to produce anyone who was judged to have the necessary scientific and administrative qualities for the post. Since the new director will face the major task of managing the relocation of the component parts of the institute on a new site at Chatham in 1987–88 an assistant secretary, Mr. G. A. Beanie, in the

£ thousand
1982 1983 1984
United Kingdom bilateral aid of which loans Multilateral aid attributable to United Kingdom United Kingdom bilateral aid of which loans Multilateral aid attributable to United Kingdom United Kingdom bilateral aid of which loans
Latin America
Argentina 2 230 414
Belize 2,885 240 6,098 3,408 81 5,971 2,305
Bolivia 988 1,270 1,199 1,521 1,182
Brazil 9,960 1,030 5,574 846 7,780 961
Chile 675 100 442 102 257
Colombia 617 710 635 780 460
Costa Rica 486 5 270 1,838 1,373 508 1,666 1,377
Cuba 180 311
Dominican Republic 139 500 176 550 65
Ecuador 1,046 362 480 783 90 965 916 383
E1 Salvador 13 560 591 205
French Guiana 1,590 n.a.
Guatemala 4 330 405
Guyana 1,724 1,433 1,340 1,555 1,080 736 419 41
Haiti 1 1,590 19 2,949 8
Honduras 2,272 2,029 2,120 6,670 6,335 2,042 3,446 3,090
Mexico 34,334 310 2,827 437 517
Nicaragua 49 1,670 64 1,627 9
Panama 62 220 43 415 49
Paraguay 3,263 320 1,281 323 207
Peru 676 1,010 4,427 1,996 476
Surinam 1 310 171
Uruguay 11 70 16 62 14
Venezuela 2 90 3 n.a.

The content of country bilateral programmes is decided in consultation with recipient governments and various conditions apply. It is our normal practice to tie bilateral aid to the purchase of British goods and services although this does not apply to loans from the Commonwealth Development Corporation. Grants from the aid and trade provision are provided in association with commercial credits and further and specific conditions apply. Britain does not normally attach specific conditions to aid made available through multilateral institutions.

Figures for multilateral aid attributable to Britain reflect the proportion of the British contribution to the general resources of the organisations concerned and not for use in individual countries.

Overseas Development Administration has been appointed, on temporary promotion, to the post for the next two to three years. The aim will be for this officer to be succeeded in due course by an officer with a scientific background.