---

Dept for International Development

Answer

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide accounts regarding the distribution of United Kingdom public money to Zimbabwe in the 1980s and 1990s to fund the acquisition of white-owned farms; and if she will set out the number of such farms acquired, the approximate acreage of each farm, the cost of acquiring each farm, to whom ownership of each farm was subsequently transferred, and how much of the original acreage acquired remains in productive operation. [120933] Clare Short: A grant of £20 million was agreed with the Government of Zimbabwe in 1981. This funded 42 resettlement projects for the benefit of refugees and landless people following the Independence war. British funds were used for land demarcation and fencing, provision of water and sanitation, construction of schools, clinics and other buildings, and also for crop packs and training. The Grant was largely disbursed by 1989; however it was eventually closed in 1996 with £3 million unspent. Over a similar period, the counterpart funds to £27 million in programme aid were used by the Government of Zimbabwe to fund their share of the programme. An ODA evaluation in 1988 found that the majority of families settled had benefited considerably through the provision of increased opportunities for income generation and the availability of services such as health and education. The programme had also been successful from the national economic perspective, having an economic rate of return of approximately 21 per cent. The Zimbabwean Comptroller and Auditor General carried out a value for money study of the programme in 1993. Despite identifying a number of shortcomings, the study concluded that the exercise was well planned in accordance with clear policies and procedures. It had benefited mainly the landless rural poor, most of whose standard of living had significantly improved.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

120933; 351 c442-3W

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Development aid Finance Land Farms Ownership Zimbabwe

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk