§ 16 Mr. Gammansasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) if his attention has been drawn to the protests of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce that the cuts in imports imposed by the Colonial Office were made without any consultation in Barbados and are likely to cause hardship locally; and what action he is taking on the matter;
(2) what instructions have been issued to the Governments of the British West Indies regarding the limitation of imports to meet the dollar crisis; and what discussions took place between the Colonial Office and local elected governments, chambers of commerce and other similar bodies before these instructions were issued.
Mr. Creech JonesThe West Indian Governments, like all other Colonial Governments, were asked to collaborate with His Majesty's Government in economising to the utmost in the use of dollar exchange. No special local discussions took place prior to the issue of my telegrams containing broad administrative guidance on the subject. I have seen a Press report regarding a resolution passed 1971 by the Barbados Chamber of Commerce in this connection, but have received no special protests from that body.
§ Mr. GammansIn view of the fact that there are duly and democratically elected governments in most of the islands today, will the Minister say whether or not those Governments were consulted before this decision was taken, or was it just imposed from London?
Mr. Creech JonesThere is continuous consultation with the respective Colonial Governments on matters of currency and exchange and when difficulties of a rather acute kind came to London we issued telegrams of broad guidance to the respective territories.
§ Mr. GammansWill the Minister answer my question? I am asking whether or not, before these cuts were made, the duly elected Governments were consulted and agreed, or whether they were just told that they had to do it?
Mr. Creech JonesI have answered the question and I have said that there is frequent and continuous consultation with the Governors in matters of this kind and, further, that it was essential that a broad memorandum of guidance should be issued to the Governors in regard to their currency transactions in future.
§ Mr. Quintin HoggWould not a shorter answer have been, "No, Sir"?