§ 32. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will seek to have included in the terms of the Caribbean Federation a provision removing all restrictions on the free movement of West Indian citizens between the islands of the Federation.
§ Mr. HopkinsonThis question was considered by representatives of West 1160 Indian Governments at a conference in Trinidad last March. The arrangements to which they agreed were set out in my reply on the 23rd March, to which I cannot add.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonWill the right hon. Gentleman say whether it is not reasonable to expect of the various islands in the West Indies the same sort of mutual freedom of entry as all these islands expect of the Government of this country? Is it not quite fantastic that, for example, a Jamaican should not be allowed free entry into Trinidad, whereas he has every right to come into this country?
§ Mr. HopkinsonThe position is that, although the arrangements agreed upon at the conference do not provide for that freedom at the moment, they represent a compromise between conflicting interests and opinions in the different islands as to what can be done. This is essentially a matter for the West Indian Governments themselves to settle.