HC Deb 23 June 1954 vol 529 c409
9. Mr. Marquand

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the fruit cannery in Dominica, which was recently burnt down, will be rebuilt; and whether a grant for this purpose will be made from the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund.

Mr. Lyttelton

The owners' intentions are not yet known. There is no proposal to make a Colonial Development and Welfare grant for rebuilding.

Mr. Marquand

Will not the elimination of this cannery cause some unemployment in the island, and has the right hon. Gentleman not an obligation to step in and preserve employment if the owners do not wish to do so?

Mr. Lyttelton

I did not say that the owners did not wish to do so. If the right hon. Gentleman puts a Question on the Order Paper within the next two or three weeks, I may be able to give him a more satisfactory answer.