§ Q4. Mr. John Fraserasked the Prime Minister if he will seek to pay an official visit to Jamaica.
§ The Prime MinisterI have no plans at present to do so.
§ Mr. FraserIf the right hon. Gentleman cannot go to Jamaica, will he convey to the Prime Minister of that country the fact that Britain will not change its pattern of trade in bananas with Jamaica in such a way as adversely to affect the livelihood of about 80,000 growers there?
Because of the damage that this does to Britain's reputation in Jamaica and other Commonwealth countries, will the right hon. Gentleman make it clear to the Prime Minister of Jamaica that Her Majesty's Government and this Parliament disagree completely with the odious, repugnant and racial views of the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell), as expressed last night on the subject of repatriation?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman is right to say that the future of the banana industry is of vital importance to Jamaica. The Prime Minister of Jamaica raised this matter with me in New York during the Special Assembly of the United Nations, and, as a result, we were able to make certain investigations, and I discussed the subject further with him at Singapore.
The hon. Gentleman may be aware that Lord Justice Denning carried out an inquiry. This, unfortunately, did not lead to a solution, and I therefore proposed to the Prime Minister in Singapore that there should be a further attempt between the Jamaica Banana Board and Fyffes to make an agreement which would be in the interests of Jamaica, and said that we would make our good offices available to that end. I am glad to say that there 1605 will be a meeting on 22nd February to try to work out a fresh agreement between them.
The answer to the second part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question is that my right hon. Friend was expressing his own views in his own way; and my attitude to this is already clearly known.