§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment is available to him of the level of economic growth in Swaziland in each year since 1983.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe rate of economic growth in Swaziland, as measured by the estimated growth in the gross domestic product, is as follows for each year since 1983.
Percentage Growth Rate of GDP in Current Prices Year Per cent. 1984 4.2 1985 2.4 1986 7.4 1987 0.0 Source: IMF Staff Papers and Swaziland Budget Speech 1988–89.
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of the extent to which Swaziland has benefited from joining the Lomé convention and giving improved access to European Community markets.
§ Mr. Chris PattenOver the five years to 1990 Swaziland will get 26 million ecu (about £18 million) in planned aid from the European development fund, in addition to 453W benefiting from SADCC and other regional projects. Swaziland also receives lending from the European Investment Bank, finance under the STABEX scheme, and emergency aid.
Under the Lomé convention, Swaziland's industrial products and the great majority of her agricultural products can enter the Community free of tariff or other restrictions. Swaziland also benefits from the special provisions of the Lomé convention relating to sugar and beef. Under the sugar protocol, Swaziland may export annually up to 117,844.5 tonnes to the Community at a guaranteed price, which is currently about three times the world market price; and under an exchange of letters annexed to the convention Swaziland can export annually up to 3,363 tonnes of beef and veal to the Community.
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list current development projects in Swaziland for which United Kingdom national, Commonwealth or European Community assistance is given, and the value of that assistance.
§ Mr. Chris PattenUnder the bilateral aid programme to Swaziland, Britain is currently financing the following projects:
Product £ million Water scheme for rural areas 0.55 Land purchase and development 2.00 In addition, we expect to spend about £2 million in 1988–89 on technical co-operation activities.
The Commonwealth fund for technical co-operation is currently financing, with grants estimated at £269,000, a number of technical co-operation projects in Swaziland.
Projects in Swaziland currently being financed by the European Community under the second and third Lomé conventions are as follows:
£ million Grant funding Rural water supplies 1.69 Teacher Training College (Ngwane and Piggs Peak) 1.24 Smallholders support project (credit and marketing) 2.45 Integrated development of trade and tourism in handicrafts 1.86 Micro projects 0.56 Technical assistance (Rural Development Areas Programme; Swazi Development and Savings Bank; Co-operatives and Credit Union; Department of Economic Planning; Customs and Excise) 1.69 Development of Matsapha airport 1.45 Agricultural training (SADCC) 0.74 Training of customs officers 0.35 Regional training (SADCC) 0.28 Waterford Kambala School 0.22 Regional railways training 0.16 Maths and Science teacher training 1.59 Swazi Industrial Development Corporation 0.84 Special loan funding Vocational training centre (Matsapha Manzini) 2.21 Swazi Investment and Development Corporation (SINDECO) 2.07 Total 19.40 The United Kingdom share of European Community aid listed above is £3.2 million.
454W
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list United Kingdom contributions to Swaziland through national, Commonwealth and European Community action in each year since 1983.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe information is as follows:
£000s 1983 1984 1985 1986 Gross United Kingdom bilateral aid1 5,665 5,626 3,376 7,722 Estimated United Kingdom share of Commonwealth2 aid 69 72 94 80 Estimated United Kingdom share of European Community aid 700 1,070 360 380 Note: Figures for 1987 are not yet available.
1 Includes expenditure by the Commonwealth Development Corporation of: (1983) 2,683, (1984) 2,876, (1985) 1,267 and (1986) 3,881.
2 Commonwealth fund for technical co-operation; figures cover the period July-June.
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what measures he has taken, or proposes to take, to assist the Swaziland Government to strengthen their national economy and decrease their dependence on the economy of the Republic of South Africa;
(2) if he will make a statement on her Majesty's Government's policy on the role of the Southern African Development Co-ordination conference as an agency for diminishing Swaziland's economic dependence on the Republic of South Africa.
§ Mr. Chris PattenOne of the principal aims of our bilateral aid programme to Swaziland is to strengthen the national economy. In addition we support the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference, of which Swaziland is a member.
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment is available to him of Swaziland's repayment of foreign debt; and to which countries payments are in arrears.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe figures show the debt service payment which were due and estimates of the actual payments made on public and publicly guaranteed debt from 1984 to 1987. I am not aware of any countries which have failed to receive repayments due from Swaziland.
Debt service payments $US million Year Due Paid 1985 23 23 1986 23 25 1987 27 28 Source: World hank debt tables and IMF staff papers.