§ 20. Mr. Wallasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will now make a statement about constitutional developments in Malta.
§ 41. Mr. P. Williamsasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a further statement on the situation in Malta.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI am at present engaged in discussions with the Governor of Malta and hope to be able to make a statement in the reasonably near future.
§ Mr. WallWould my right hon. Friend agree that some of the trouble is the dependence of the Maltese on the dockyard? Will he make it clear to the House that the statement issued by Dr. Borg Olivier yesterday, in which he said that the reduction of the dockyard would cost Malta more than the £5 million that Britain has offered, is incorrect, and that it is Her Majesty's Government's intention to keep the highest level of employment in the dockyard and to develop other industries in the island?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI am very conscious of the importance of the dockyard, and I made it quite clear at the time that we regarded the cost of converting the dockyard, or any part of it, to civilian use as falling outside the £25 million undertaking for capital works over the next five years.