§ Sir Alastair GoodladTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in implementing the aid measures outlined in the joint statement between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Montserrat. [24236]
§ Clare ShortI presume that the right hon. Gentleman is referring to the statement made on 16 September. 105 houses will be completed by the end of February. This has released school buildings enabling full secondary education to resume in January. A Department for International Development mission to Montserrat last week discussed the composition of the next tranche of 50 housing units and the details of the soft mortgage scheme. An initial draft of the Sustainable Development Plan has been discussed at official level and a final draft will be circulated publicly in the next few weeks. A draft feasibility study for an airstrip is underway and we are in discussion with the Government of Montserrat on what further work is needed to produce the final report.