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Mr. John Page
asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will publish a table to show those countries which, in 1945, were within the British Commonwealth or administered by the Colonial Office, and which since have received new constitutions giving them independence or republican status either within or outside the Commonwealth, and the dates on which those new constitutions came into operation.
Mr. Bottomley
I give below the information requested:
| B. INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES PREVIOUSLY WITHIN THE COMMONWEALTH | ||||||
Territory
| Date of Leaving
| Remarks
| ||||
| Burma | … | … | … | … | 4.1.48 | On attaining independence as a Republic. |
| Republic of Ireland | … | … | … | … | 18.4.49 | Became a Republic and left the commonwealth. |
| South Africa | … | … | … | … | 31.5.61 | Became a Republic and left the commonwealth. |
| C. OTHERS | ||||||
Territory
| Date of Leaving
| Remarks
| ||||
| Newfoundland | … | … | … | … | — | Having been governed by commission became a province of Canada on 31st March, 1949 (British North America Act 1949). |
| Somaliland | … | … | … | … | — | This protectorate joined the former Italian trust territory on 1st July, 1960 as Somali Republic outside the Commonwealth. |
| Western Samoa | … | … | … | … | — | Formerly administered by New Zealand under mandate trusteeship. Became an independent Sovereign State on 1st January, 1962. |
| Maldive Islands | … | … | … | … | — | Became an independent State outside the Commonwealth on 26th July, 1965. |