§ 13. Mr. Geoffrey Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what progress has been made by the Commonwealth Secretariat in implementing the recommendations of the Agreed Memorandum in the economic field.
§ Mr. BottomleyThe activities expected of the Secretariat were laid down by Commonwealth Prime Ministers collectively in their Agreed Memorandum of June, 1965. The Secretariat is now regularly servicing Commonwealth meetings and is carrying out its tasks in the other fields of activity laid down in the Agreed Memorandum. In the economic field the Secretariat has serviced two trade officials' meetings, the first in November and December and the second during May. It is currently servicing the meeting of Trade Ministers. The Agreed Memorandum envisaged that Commonwealth Governments would consider an annual report on the work of the Secretariat and the Secretary-General will no doubt so report after the completion of the first year of the Secretariat's work.
§ Mr. LloydCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether there has been any progress with the imaginative proposal mentioned in the Agreed Memorandum which dates from the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference of 1964, that there should be collaborative individual projects for Commonwealth countries in which various other Commonwealth countries and not merely the United Kingdom may play a part?
§ Mr. BottomleyYes, it is the intention that all Commonwealth countries, collectively and bilaterally, should do as much as they can together to further Commonwealth interests.