:asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will now make a statement on the assistance Her Majesty's Government are prepared to give to the Virgin Islands development plan.

Her Majesty's Government have approved the development plan in principle. It provides for expenditure of about £600,000 in the period to March, 1966. Apart from loan funds of £185,000, the suggested sources of finance are £280,000 from Colonial Development and Welfare sources and £135,000 from the local budget which is grant aided by Britain.

Is my hon. Friend aware that his imaginative reply will be received with pleasure on both sides of the House by Members interested in the growth of our less developed possessions in the Commonwealth? Furthermore, is he aware that his own visit to, in particular, the Virgin Islands and its successful outcome are also a reason for more visits of this sort by himself and his colleagues in the coming years?

I am much obliged to my hon. Friend for what he has said. I think that this development plan should make a considerable impact by opening up particularly Tortola and by providing the basic facilities for tourism.

Would the Government bear in mind the possibility of very real association with the American Virgin Islands? After all, most of the people in the British Virgin Islands daily go to work in the American Virgin Islands. Would it not be a good thing in the long run for there to be some form of association between the two groups of islands, which would provide the possibility of American capital coming to the British Virgin Islands?

That is a very much wider question. This may be a possibility in the future, but we must have regard to local opinion.

We on this side of the House gladly join in the tribute which has been paid to the Government for giving assistance to these islands. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will take into account what my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Chapman) has said.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) how many emigrated from St. Helena in 1963;

One hundred and five persons, including children, emigrated last year. Ninety-eight are at present unemployed, all of whom have been given outdoor relief work.

Does the Secretary of State agree that many more St. Helenians would like to emigrate to this country if they were able to do so? If this were made possible, it would help to alleviate the heavy unemployment problem in St. Helena. Would the right hon. Gentleman consider giving additional financial assistance to enable more St. Helenians to emigrate if they want to do so?

As I think the hon. Gentleman knows, there is a Government - sponsored emigration scheme for young men, under which jobs are found for them in Britain, and part of their fares is paid. For some time there has been no request for this assistance.

Would the Secretary of State be good enough to look into this? Would he now consult the Government of St. Helena to see how many more would take advantage of this scheme if additional financial assistance were forthcoming?

I will certainly look into that.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that in many colonies there are designated and undesignated civil servants, of whom the designated receive greater privileges and terminal compensation; and if he will take steps to rectify this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is satisfied with the present differences in terms of service between an officer recruited under the Overseas Service Aid Scheme and a non-designated officer; whether he is aware of dissatisfaction among non-designated officers, particularly in Northern Rhodesia, over their terms of service; and what action he proposes to take to rectify this situation.

The terms of service of all officers in the service of overseas Governments, other than those designated by the British Government under the Overseas Service Aid Scheme, are the sole responsibility of the employing Governments.

Is the Under-Secretary aware that we have created a system of apartheid in our Colonies, even among British subjects? Men who have gone from this country and worked for the Government are now treated differently from others. The designated man can get 15½ per cent. and other privileges from the Government which are not given to the non-designated man, who is doing exactly the same work. This is the feeling of the people in Lusaka, one of betrayal by the British Treasury on compensation benefits for those in Northern Rhodesia. Would the Minister give some serious thought to this matter, because it applies not only to Northern Rhodesia but to other countries? Would he give further thought to the problem and see if it can be solved?

I agree with what the hon. Gentleman has said; some dissatisfaction has been expressed by some non-designated officers in Northern Rhodesia. I think the hon. Gentleman would feel on reflection that this is not a fair way of describing the difference between the Overseas Service Aid Scheme, which was very carefully considered and worked out, with the approval of the Northern Rhodesian Government, and then approved by the House, and those officers who were locally recruited or did not come within the terms of the Overseas Service Aid Scheme. My right hon. Friend the Secretary for Technical Co-operation is prepared to consider the point made by the hon. Gentleman, but I cannot hold out much hope of the terms of the original O.S.A.S. being widened.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the expression "some dissatisfaction" is a very wrong description of the situation? Is he aware that I have in my hands a petition signed by about 700 of these officers, complaining at the terms that they are having to endure? Is he aware also that some 400 of the 720 officers involved are of British origin and recognised by the Northern Rhodesian Government to have British domicile and that their terms of service are giving grave dissatisfaction in Northern Rhodesia, because, as my hon. Friend has said, they are doing precisely the same jobs and feel themselves very hard done by by comparison?

I am aware of the petition to which the hon. Gentleman has referred, but I must emphasise again that the position of the non-designated officer is primarily a matter for the Northern Rhodesian Government. As I said earlier, my right hon. Friend the Secretary for Technical Co-operation will consider these matters, but I do not think I can add to what I previously said.

In view of the original discrepancy in deciding whether an officer should be designated or non-designated, would my hon. Friend care to look it to the marginal cases and see if they could now be defined as designated officers?

I think I must repeat that the marginal cases, by which I think my hon. Friend must mean those who are at present non-designated officers, are those cases which fall within the sphere of responsibility of the employing Government—that is, the Northern Rhodesian Government.

Although I appreciate what the Minister has already said, may I ask him to view this question from the point of view of hardship cases?

I will certainly consider whether my right hon. Friend can look at that aspect.

In view of the unsatisfactory reply, may I give notice that I wish to raise this on the Adjournment?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on his recent interview with the Archbishop of Malta on the independence of the island; and if he will place in the Library a synopsis of the chief matters discussed both with the Prime Minister of Malta and the Leader of the Opposition.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the preparations for Maltese independence; and whether it has now been agreed to include in the future constitution of Malta the necessary safeguards for human rights, including freedom of worship and freedom from ecclesiastical control or interference.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement about financial aid to Malta.

My meetings with the Prime Minister of Malta, and other political leaders and with the Archbishop were, of course, confidential.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that radical changes have taken place since I tabled the Question? Now that a referendum is to be held, will he take steps to ensure that there is not a repetition of the circumstances which arose during the General Election in Malta? Let the people of Malta be given an opportunity of freely expressing their opinion without any threats being made.

That is what I hope will happen.

While sympathising to some extent with the right hon. Gentleman's evident desire to dodge the most awkward central issue here, and realising that he cannot appear to interfere with ecclesiastical jurisdiction as such, may I ask him if he realises that there will be a real difficulty about getting a referendum which truly expresses the views of the people of Malta if in the weeks before that referendum, and during the taking of it, there is the same spiritual tyranny which was exercised at the time of the election?

I do not think I want to express any opinions about that.

Can my right hon. Friend assure the House that there will be adequate long-term financial aid to Malta before a final decision is taken on the date of independence?

As I explained in my Answer, financial talks are proceeding at the moment.

Is it not unusual for one political party to draft a constitution for a Colony? Does this not usually fall to the lot of the Secretary of State or to some independent body such as a Radcliffe Commission? Would the Secretary of State now issue instructions for a regulation saying that there will be a system of meetings and broadcasting for all parties concerned?

The second part of the question relates to the substance of part of the controversy in regard to the Constitution. As to the first part, the decision to hold a referendum was taken by the Prime Minister of Malta. It is not for me to dictate to the Government of a self-governing Territory whether or not they shall hold a referendum to test opinion on a question of importance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies by what criteria he will judge the desire of the Maltese people for independence.

The "Yes" votes in the referendum will show how many people want independence under the Constitution which is to be proposed by the Malta Government. It will not, of course, be possible to tell how many of those who vote "No" want independence under some other form of constitution and how many are opposed to independence under any constitution.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that after the last referendum in Malta all the political parties claimed the support of those who abstained? Can he say what weight he would give to abstentions on this occasion?

It is very difficult to draw any reliable conclusions from abstentions. I hope, therefore, that those who have views will express them through the ballot box.

In view of this difficulty, if a scheme could be devised whereby those who approved of the constitution as submitted and who felt that independence should be deferred were to submit blank referendum papers, would my right hon. Friend take those wishes into account?

That is a hypothetical question. But I think it can be assumed that if an abnormally large number of blank votes were cast in the referendum, I would have to consider what significance should be attached to them.

Does the right hon. Gentleman's own original reply to this Question not show that the only question that is being put in this referendum is of the same order as the familiar question, "Have you stopped beating your wife?" Can he not seriously suggest to the Malta Government that they might revise the form of the question and make it either two or three questions of appropriate kinds?

I do not see much connection between the question suggested by the hon. Member and the one put in the referendum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, if he will appoint any officials as observers of the Malta referendum; and why he has decided not to allow the appointment of a representative of the United Nations Secretary-General.

I am not yet ready to make any statement about the choice of observers.

Can the Secretary of State give any idea when this is going to be done? Will it be before the rising of Parliament for the East Recess?

Yes, Sir.

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that he is bound to have questions put to him after this referendum takes place in Malta? Would it not be better for him to arm himself with the views of hon. Members on both sides by sending out an all-party delegation to supervise the referendum?

I am open to any suggestions.

Will at least one of these observers have knowledge of the language and customs of Malta?

I hope so.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the right hon. Gentleman's replies on a number of aspects of the Malta problem, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) what grant loan or subsidy has been made by Her Majesty's Government since 15th February 1963 to the company running the Malta dockyard;

Since the date in question, a loan of about £2½4 million has been advanced to the company for the development of the dockyard and for working capital. No grants or subsidies have been provided. I understand that the company has disposed of interests in certain subsidiaries.

As to the second part of my right hon. Friend's reply, can he say whether any of the plant and machinery in the dockyards has been sold—and the proceeds included in those figures—or advertised for sale? Further, can my right hon. Friend tell us how far the figures prove that there has been a loss since the dockyards have been taken over? Is that why the grants have been given?

I am not sure about individual bits of machinery. What I do know is that most of the subsidiary companies that have been sold were running at a loss, and that is why they have been disposed of.

Has any inquiry been made into the suspension of C. H. Bailey from Malta over two years ago and is any report to be made to the House of the circumstances which compelled the Government to withdraw work from that firm and hand it to a north of England company?

The reasons for the take over were fully explained to the House at the time. As the whole matter is now the subject of litigation, I do not want to go into details about that.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what contributions will be made by the United Kingdom towards the establishment of universities in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

We have helped the Governments concerned with their preliminary planning in this field but we have not yet been asked for further assistance.

No doubt, the hon. Gentleman will be asked when the time comes when a specific project is put forward. May we take it that the Government's attitude will be at least as generous as in the contribution made to the University of Salisbury when that was established?

I can tell the hon. Gentleman that we are naturally sorry that the two Governments concerned have not wished to continue their association with University College. We are anxious to help them all we can with the formation of their higher education policy, but it is not possible at this stage to go into figures, as the hon. Gentleman asked.

While not standing in the way of development of higher educational facilities in the two territories concerned, may I ask whether the Government would make one last effort to try to persuade all countries in the area to participate in carrying on the university at Salisbury, which will be needed by all of them, apart from developments in each territory?

I am sure that we would all share the hope expressed by the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will request the Hong Kong Government to suspend the operation of Clause Five 2(c) of Ordinance 67 of 1963 introduced on 1st January, 1964, with a view to bringing the inspection of charity clinics under the control of the medical staff of the Government instead of leaving them under the supervision of private practitioners as at present.

No, Sir. The object of the ordinance is to ensure adequate control of private clinics, including inspection by the Registrar of Clinics. There is to be a review of the working of the ordinance after 18 months.

On the face of this, would it not seem quite reasonable to hand this inspection to the doctors in Government service who have no private interest in the matter? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in June, 1957, I was promised by the then Under-Secretary that this Section of the Medical Registration Bill would not be brought into operation? Why the change, seven years afterwards, that insists on this being done, in view of the fact that the number of persons in Hong Kong today who need cheap medical facilities are thousands upon thousands greater than they were in 1957?

The intention of this is to preserve the service given by these clinics but also to ensure that they are properly supervised. I did not get the hon. Gentleman's point about inspection, because the registrar of clinics who will do the inspecting is a Government officer; he is the chief medical officer, which is just what the hon. Gentleman wants.

Is not the hon. Gentleman aware that the medical men who for the most part do this service in Hong Kong, and who are unregistered because they are expatriate doctors from other countries, are just as well qualified as those persons in Hong Kong today who are registered, and all that we are asking is for something similar to what obtained with regard to Polish doctors in this country just after the war?

The hon. Gentleman is getting muddled. He talks first about inspection and then about supervision. He is now talking about the supervision of the unregistered doctors. The reason that we want them to be supervised is that they are not adequately qualified, or many of them are not, and they do not possess the qualifications laid down by the Hong Kong Medical Association, which are substantially the same as the B.M.A., and we really must maintain adequate standards in Hong Kong.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the present refugee population in Hong Kong; and what arrangements have been made for their accommodation, education and health.

About 1·1 million people have entered Hong Kong from China since 1949. It is not known how many of them were refugees. All share equally in the social services provided in the Colony.

Are not these very remarkable achievements on the part of the Government and people of Hong Kong, which deserve our warm congratulations?

I am most grateful to my hon. Friend for his tribute to Hong Kong. It is rather remarkable that such a tiny and seriously overcrowded Colony should have absorbed such an enormous number of people.

In joining in the tribute to the Hong Kong Government, may I add that we should not be complacent about the matter? There is the refugee problem, and the condition of the people generally is pretty wretched in Hong Kong.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what further developments have taken place in respect of the water supply and resources of Hong Kong.

Emergency action has been taken to import water by tanker from the Pearl River. These measures have removed the immediate danger and should enable supplies to be maintained, at least at their present level, until the rainy season.

Whilst expressing appreciation of the fact that some arrangement has been reached between the Hong Kong Government and the Chinese People's Republic, may I ask how long the water supplies would last if the supplies from China proper were entirely cut off?

I am afraid that I do not have that information. We depend a great deal upon China, as the hon. Gentleman knows. Long-term plans are now well in hand for the creation of new reservoirs at very considerable cost, and I think that the position should be all right after this next season. But I will find out for the hon. Gentleman about the dependence on China, and let him know.

Is the hon. Gentleman able to guarantee to the people of Hong Kong an adequate water supply without being dependent on sources in Chinese territory?

No, Sir. I cannot give any such guarantee. It is perfectly obvious that our sources are not adequate, and that in this matter we depend greatly on China. Even those sources are not adequate if we have a low rainfall, such as we have had lately.

Can my hon. Friend say, roughly, for how many hours of the day people in Hong Kong are now allowed to have water?

The position is very bad. The supply of water in Hong Kong is at present restricted to three hours every fourth day.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he proposes to take to work out a new constitutional framework for Fiji.

A constitutional conference will be held in London for this purpose within the next 12 months.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in fact this announcement was made to the United Nations as long ago as December, and would it not be convenient for this House to be brought up to date with this information?

I should like to look at that.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Commonwealth countries have established High Commissions in Fiji; and which countries they are.

India and Australia have appointed representatives with the rank of Commissioner.

Would my right hon. Friend see if he can persuade some of the other countries around the Pacific with interests in Fiji to have closer representation there, in view of the importance of the place to the Commonwealth?

Yes, we were indeed very glad that the Australian Government decided to appoint a Commissioner and we warmly welcome it as an indication of Australian interest in the area. We should, of course, also very much welcome a similar appointment by New Zealand, but that is a matter for the New Zealand Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has now completed his study of the directive given to the medical services of the Seychelles prohibiting instruction of birth control techniques involving contraceptives; what is the result of his request to the Governor to review the matter; whether he is aware that until the prohibition a family planning clinic had been conducted with the approval of the former Governor for 18 months by the Acting Director of Medical Ser- vices, who protested against the closure; and whether, in view of the population growth and high illegitimacy rate in this grant-aided Colony, he will now direct that the family planning clinic should be reopened.

I have much sympathy with the aims implied in the hon. Member's Question; but I do not think that, in a territory where most members of the Legislature and nearly all the public officers are Roman Catholics, a direction from my right hon. Friend to the Governor to reverse his previous decisions and re-open a Government clinic is the best way to achieve what the hon. Member has in mind. I am examining other possible courses which would not involve the use of Seychelles Government funds.

Is the Minister aware that when there was a Protestant Governor there were no such objections in existence and the clinic ran very satisfactorily? Is he considering further alternative means and, if so, what are those means? Is he discussing anything with the family planning groups in this country? Is he aware of such a need in a country over-populated, with a 44 per cent. illegitimacy rate; and how far will he ensure, if given alternative methods, having medical men on the spot who are non-Catholics and outside the medical service there at the moment? Will he say whether such an idea is in his mind?

I think that the hon. Gentleman knows that I sympathise very much with what he has in mind and I am aware of all these factors in the case. I am in touch with the International Planned Parenthood Federation to ascertain whether it could equip a private clinic in the Seychelles, and this may well be a way out of our difficulty if it can.

Would the hon. Gentleman put it to the Governor that, while one appreciates his own objections to family planning, he should not try to impose them on a large number who do not accept his premise?

I am not so much thinking of the fact that the Governor himself is a Roman Catholic as of the fact that 90 per cent. of the population and nearly all the public officers and members of the Legislature are Roman Catholics, and one must have regard to that.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if, in view of the substantial agreement reached between Dr. Jagan and Mr. Forbes Burnham and the executives of their parties as a result of the intervention of the Ghana Goodwill Mission and of the continuing discussions between them on outstanding points, he will postpone the application of a new constitution for British Guiana in order to provide an opportunity for the acceptance of an agreed constitution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a further statement in respect of the political situation in British Guiana.

I have nothing further to report to the House about the general political situation. I have made inquiries about the hon. Member's statement that agreement has been reached between the parties, but I have not been able to obtain any confirmation of this.

Is it not the case that agreement has been reached on 10 of the 12 subjects under discussion? Is it not also the case that Dr. Jagan has now agreed to some introduction of proportional representation on the lines that there are in neighbouring Surinam in Dutch Guiana? In view of the terrible danger of racial clashes in British Guiana, will the right hon. Gentleman still seek to find a basis of agreement before the Privy Council meets on 26th March to endorse the Order in Council?

No one would be happier than I if there were agreement between the parties, but I have done my best to check up on the hon. Gentleman's statement about agreement having been reached, and I cannot find any evidence to show that, on the basic issues, the differences have been resolved. As for the Order in Council, as I think the hon. Gentleman knows, any Order in Council of this kind will have to lie on the Table for 40 Parliamentary days before it can be given effect.

Can the right hon. Gentleman state, quite apart from the clash of personalities, what is the crucial point at issue between these two parties?

There are a number. The most important are the questions of proportional representation and of elections before independence. The basic problem is the racial character of party politics in British Guiana.

Bearing in mind that some progress has been made in bringing the parties together, is there not something that the Secretary of State himself can do to bring about this result? Otherwise, the outlook for the future is rather grim.

The outlook is not very rosy, but I do not think there is anything further that I can do at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when further meetings of the territorial Ministers and representatives of Her Majesty's Government are to take place in order to make progress towards the proposed East Caribbean federation.

I have proposed to the Governments of these territories that we should have a meeting in London in April to discuss this matter further. I have not yet received their replies.

If there is to be further delay—and there has already been a great deal of delay—would the right hon. Gentleman, first of all, bear in mind the possibility—indeed, the importance—of consulting the other leaders of the West Indies who all met in summit conference, particularly as Trinidad is involved with the future of Grenada, one of the territories in question? Secondly, will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind the idea of the consortium which has been proposed on this side of the House and which was also proposed at the summit meeting in the West Indies—a consortium of nations—Canada, the United States and ourselves—to help put these islands on their feet economically? Thirdly, if there is to be further delay, would the right hon. Gentleman meet a deputation from all parties, through the British Caribbean Association, including business interests, which are very worried about the delay in bringing this idea to fruition?

I am, of course, happy to meet Members of Parliament who wish to discuss this matter with me. As regards the consortium, naturally economic aid from any quarter would be exceedingly welcome in this area. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that I am keeping in close touch with the Governments of the two independent Caribbean Commonwealth countries.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say when the invitation to the conference in April was sent to the countries concerned?

I should think about a month ago.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the unsatisfactory state of administration revealed by the recent inquiry into the conduct of the Public Works Department, he will order new elections in St. Vincent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what further action he proposes taking in connection with the findings of the recent Commission of Inquiry into financial irregularities in the Public Works Department in St. Vincent.

Steps have been taken in St. Vincent to carry out the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry. The Administrator is considering whether any further action is necessary.

Would the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind the extreme seriousness of the findings of this inquiry, namely, that Mrs. Joshua was accepting payment on behalf of people employed by the Public Works Depart- ment who had not done any work, and that fictitious names were on the payroll on occasions? Will he also bear in mind that the report speaks of widespread coercion and fear among the people giving evidence? Will the right hon. Gentleman also bear in mind that this inquiry is not the sum total of the suspicion of maladministration in this island, that there are allegations about the wrongful sale of public land and so on? In the circumstances, would it not be much better to give the people of St. Vincent a chance, through new elections, to say whether they have confidence any longer in the existing Government of the island?

I would prefer to leave the Administrator, who is a very capable person in whom I have confidence, to judge what is required to deal with this situation. He has the power to dissolve the Legislature after consultation with the Chief Minister. That is laid down in the Constitution.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this is much more than a matter of ordinary Ministerial responsibility for blunders inside a Department? Is he further aware, as my hon. Friend has said, that the Minister concerned was found by the Commission to have engaged in financial irregularities outside her own Department? Is he further aware that the Commission showed that there were 240,000 dollars of unathorised expenditure in the Public Works Department in the year under question? Is there not something much more serious than can be met simply by persuading the Minister concerned to retreat from the Front Benches and become the solitary back bencher in the Legislative Council in St. Vincent? Is not the only way to clean up the situation to have an election and allow the people of St. Vincent to decide for themselves what they want to do about the Government?

I agree with the hon. Member that the position is far from satisfactory, but I would prefer none the less to leave the Administrator some further time in which to consider what he thinks is the best course to adopt.

Was the right hon. Gentleman able to see the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition when they visited this country recently?

They were seen by officials of my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he is taking to ensure that the wishes of the local population of Bechuanaland are met regarding the hours of opening of the gates at the frontier between Bechuanaland and the Republic of South Africa.

Representations by the Government of Bechuanaland have resulted in some relaxation in the arrangements made by the Republican authorities.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that my understanding is that in the Legislative Council for Bechuanaland representations are at present being made that the gates should be kept open until, I think, 8 o'clock at night? Will he do everything he can, perhaps in association with the Foreign Minister, to ensure that the interests of the people of Bechuanaland are paramount in this matter?

Certainly I know of no complaints at this moment. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman is better informed than I am about it. The main road north is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The majority of the other roads were open, I think, only until 4 p.m. but I believe there have been relaxations in respect of those roads. I have not got the precise hours in mind, but I know there has been some improvement.