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St. Helena: Public Expenditure

Volume 491: debated on Monday 27 April 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent on St. Helena from the public purse in the last 20 years, expressed in current prices adjusted for inflation. (268959)

The cost of bilateral support to the Government of St. Helena over the last 20 years, provided through DFID or its predecessor Department, is set out in the following table (current prices in £ million):

£ million

Expenditure

2007-08

17.6

2006-07

16.1

2005-06

14.3

2004-05

15.6

2003-04

11.7

2002-03

10.9

2001-02

11.9

2000-01

12.2

1999-2000

11.4

1998-99

10.9

1997-98

11.2

1996-97

10.4

1995-96

12.5

1994-95

11.4

1993-94

12.8

1992-93

13.2

1991-92

13.6

1990-91

18.5

1989-90

41.3

1988-89

38.2

These figures do not include assistance that DFID has provided since 2004 to non-governmental groups on St. Helena for environmental conservation projects. This amounted to approximately £400,000 over the five year period.

In addition to DFID/ODA assistance, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded a small number of discrete projects through its Overseas Territories Programme Fund. The total for St. Helena over the last two financial years amounts to just over £400,000. Further information cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

St. Helena has also benefited from other sources of public funding through financial assistance from the European Union (approximately £13 million in the last 12 years), the United Nations Development Programme (approximately £1.6 million in the last 12 years) and the World Health Organisation ($400,000 every two years).

The values of these further amounts are stated in cash prices.