§ 24. Mr. George Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will seek to make an official visit to Jamaica.
§ Mr. RipponNeither my right hon. Friend nor I have plans at present to do so.
§ Mr. CunninghamIn view of the very serious damage to relations with Jamaica that the banana dispute has created and of the further damage which may be done if we join the Common Market and no protection is given, will the right hon. and learned Gentleman reconsider his answer and consider having further discussions with the Jamaican Government and making the effect of those discussions public so that we can be sure what safeguards are provided for our important banana trade with the West Indies?
§ Mr. RipponI visited Jamaica in February, and I reported to the House about that visit. Since then I have had further discussions with the Jamaican Minister of Trade. We are in close touch about all these matters.