§ 27. Sir W. Teelingasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking with regard to French efforts to lay claim to the Seychelles Islands; whether there is French consular representation there; and how many residents are French citizens.
§ Mr. WhitlockI am not aware of any such efforts. Seychelles is within the 1080 consular district of the French Consul-General at Port Louis, Mauritius. There is a consular agent at Mahé. There are six French citizens.
§ Sir W. TeelingDoes the hon. Gentleman realise that British subjects who are residents out there are extremely unhappy about the fact that, although the English language is officially taught in the schools, almost everything else is French? Is he further aware that there is now a department in the Quai d'Orsay, the French Foreign Office, which looks after French liaison with Quebec—and we know the results there—sand does he think that it is also keeping an eye on the Seychelles?
§ Mr. WhitlockAll those matters may be true, but there is no evidence that France is in any way seeking to lay claim to the Seychelles or to extend her influence over the islands.