STAGE-
IN CONFIDENCE
4.
Internal self-government was introduced on 1 January 1964; the Governor retains responsibility for external affairs, defence, internal security and the public services. There is a Cabinet consisting of the Premier and an unspecified number of other Ministers (currently 10); and a bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate (8 appointed members) and a House of Representatives (18 members elected by universal adult suffrage). General elections were last held in 1974 and are due towards the end of 1979. At present the People's United Party hold 13 out of the 18 seats; the opposition party, the United Democratic Party, holds 5 seats.
B.
RESOURCES CONTROLLED BY THE TERRITORY
5. The territory has balanced its recurrent budget since 1967 but relies on British, and to a lesser extent on
Canadian, aid and on the Caribbean Development Bank for loans for development projects. The estimated recurrent revenue for 1978 is BZ $51.9 million and estimated recurrent expen- diture BZ $44.3 million. (BZ $4 = £1). British capital aid is running at the level of £4 million per annum, (exclusive of hurricane rehabilitation aid of £2 million in both 1978/9 and 1979/80) and UK technical @operation at about £0.5 million. Canadian aid presently comes to about £1 million per annum.
6. There is a British garrison, consisting of one and a half battalions and support and administrative units inclu- ding fighter aircraft, an air defence missile system for Belize International Airport and a frigate (designated the Belize guardship) which is always within a few days of Belizean waters. The total strength of the garrison is some 2000 servicemen. There is also a Belize Defence Force, currently
THIS IS A COPY
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
CLOSED UNDER
FOI EXEMPTION NO.....??(1)
IN CONFIDENCE
/being