§ 19. Mr. Brockwayasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what decisions were reached by the South Pacific Commission at its recent meeting regarding 344 social and economic developments in Colonial Territories in the Pacific.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. Julian Amery)The decisions reached by the 18th Session of the South Pacific Commission in October, 1958, are recorded in its published proceedings. A copy of these has been placed in the Library of the House. The 19th Session of the Commission has just been held in Rabaul. A full report of its decisions has not yet been received.
§ Mr. BrockwayIn view of the fact that this Commission represents the co-operation of Australasian, European, and American Governments with seventeen Colonial Territories in the development of economic, medical and social services in that area, could not it be accepted as a precedent for other areas overriding the old imperial proclivities, as, for example, in the Caribbean Islands?
§ Mr. AmeryThe hon. Gentleman's suggestion is interesting, but I do not think that I can answer it off the cuff.