§ 1. Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with Trinidad and Tobago.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Mark Lennox-Boyd)United Kingdom relations with Trinidad and Tobago are good. Several ministerial exchanges have taken place in recent months.
§ Mr. SteenIs the Minister aware that I have just returned from Trinidad and Tobago, where I led a delegation on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association? Representatives of 26 Commonwealth countries were there. They are concerned about what their relationship will be with this country post-Maastricht. As this is the first day of Britain's assumption of the presidency of the European Community, will my hon. Friend reassure the Commonwealth, whose ties with Britain go back far longer than those with the European Community, that relationships with the Commonwealth will continue to be excellent and, most important, that the British Government will do everything that they can to ensure that the favoured trading conditions continue and expand, not only with Britain but with all European Community countries?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI share my hon. Friend's appreciation of the value of the Commonwealth and of the CPA in particular, which plays an essential role in reinforcing the ties between Commonwealth Parliaments and parliamentarians. My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to our ties with the Commonwealth, which are long and deep. We have worked hard to achieve the best possible trading arrangements for the developing countries of the Commonwealth within the framework of the Lomé convention, and we shall continue to do so.