§ 11. Mr. James Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the Commission proposed to visit Commonwealth territories to investigate and discuss immigration issues will visit Mauritius.
§ Mr. GreenwoodIt has not yet been decided which Commonwealth countries the mission will visit.
§ Mr. JohnsonIs my right hon. Friend aware of the terrifying nature of the over-population of Mauritius? According to Professor Titmuss, the population of 700,000 will double by 1982, which is only a little over 15 years ahead. Are there any schemes for birth control of any nature, particularly among the Hindu population, to curb this terrifying advance?
§ Mr. GreenwoodI do not think that the latter part of that supplementary question arises out of the original Question. The important thing to remember is that this is a very serious problem in Mauritius. I have discussed it with the Premier of Mauritius. The normal contacts between the Government of Mauritius and Her Majesty's Government are through the Colonial Office, and we are constantly in touch with this problem. I shall again be discussing it with the Premier next week when I visit Mauritius.
§ Mr. ChapmanDoes not this reinforce our case that it is time that we had a Commonwealth-wide conference on migration within the Commonwealth, and that other countries took their share?
§ Mr. GreenwoodThe best thing for the time being is to await the report of the mission which the Government propose to send to Commonwealth countries.