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Written Answers
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drought consisted of a contribution of £300,000 to the Food and Agricultural Organisation's special Sahelian Zone Trust Fund and our share of the cost of emergency food aid sent to the afflicted areas by the European Economic Com- munity and the World Food Programme. In addition, the Royal Air Force trans- ported about 2.500 tons of food from Dakar to the north-western part of Mali. I was myself able to see something of the problems Mali is facing during a recent visit there.
Her Majesty's Government are willing to take part in an international pro- gramme of medium- and long-term assistance to the area and attaches great importance to its effective co-ordination. The resources available within the British aid programme for bilateral aid to Sahelian countries, however, will con- tinue to be small in view of our com- mitments elsewhere in the world.
to
With regard to our relief aid Ethiopia, I would refer the hon. Gentle- man to the reply I gave to him on Friday 2nd November.-[Vol. 863, c. 17-18.]
Cayman Islands
Mr. Molloy asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will visit the Cayman Islands.
Lord Balnie!: My right hon. Friend has no plans for visiting the Cayman Islands at the present time.
Hong Kong
Mr. Hordern asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in view of the United Kingdom's obligation to align with the EEC's Gen- eralised System of Preferences on ist January 1974. what action he is taking to remedy the exclusion from the Gen- eralised System of Preferences of Hong Kong's textile and footwear exports.
Mr. Anthony Royle: At a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the EEC on 6th November my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster made a strong statement on the position of Hong Kong. He said that during the enlargement negotiations in 1971 the Community had agreed to admit Hong Kong to its Generalised System of Pre- ferences, subject to the exclusion of her
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textiles and footwear exports. Our Chief Negotiator at the time had agreed to this arrangement but he had made it clear to the Community that it would be the United Kingdom's continuing concern to avoid discrimination against Hong Kong. The arrangements agreed by our partners in 1971 may have seemed to them not ungenerous. But an important considera- tion now was that since 1971 the situa- tion had changed to the detriment of Hong Kong and that the Philippines, Thailand and Yugoslavia. all of them become beneficiaries under the Com- serious competitors of Hong Kong, had
munity's scheme in respect of cotton textiles. We had examined this matter
carefully and had concluded that in pre- sent circumstances it was no longer accept- able for discrimination to apply against Hong Kong.
As this aspect of the scheme will re- main unchanged for 1974 my right hon. Friend has put his colleagues on notice that in the context of next year's review we intend to press resolutely for the in- clusion of Hong Kong's textiles and foot- wear in the scheme from 1975 onwards.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Immigrants (Dependants)
Mr. Luce asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the number of dependants of Commonwealth citizens admitted into the United Kingdom per annum since 1965 and provide an annual projected forecast of dependants to be admitted over the next five years.
Mr. Lane: The nun.bers of dependants of Commonwealth citizens excluding United Kingdom passport holders admitted for settlement in the years 1965 to 1972 were:
1965
1966
1957
1968
1969
1970 1971 1972
41,214
42,026
52,813
43,879
29,454
22,941
20.282
22,365
It is not possible to give precise annual forecasts for future years. The figure for 1973 is likely to be below that for 1972. We expect a further moderate but distinct fall in 1974 and a declining trend therealier.
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