§ 6. Mr. Tilneyasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the subcommittees that made suggestions to the Colonial Research Council for the expenditure of colonial development and welfare fund money have also been dissolved.
§ Mr. AlportNo, Sir. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to his Question of the 29th March.
§ Mr. TilneyWill local research continue in, say, Nigeria or Sierra Leone? Will the work of the Institute of Try-panosomiasis continue at Vom, and will money be provided for that?
§ Mr. AlportI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the situation which will arise after independence. That will be a matter for the Government of independent Nigeria, but the importance of the work of these institutions, I am certain, is as well recognised by the Government of Nigeria as it is by the United Kingdom Government.
§ Mr. G. M. ThomsonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that with the coming of independence to Nigeria there is some real anxiety that some of the excellent research work done under the Colonial Research Council may receive a setback? Is he aware that that affects him in his official capacity as well as from the Colonial Office point of view? Will he look into this matter most carefully?
§ Mr. AlportI have looked into it in the past. I can assure the hon. Member that we make certain that this most important research work into tropical diseases shall continue, but it is a matter which must be in the hands of an independent Nigerian Government when that Government comes into office.