HL Deb 02 February 1967 vol 279 cc1071-3

4.15 p.m.

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, with permission I should like to repeat a Statement made in another place by my honourable friend the Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs. He said:

"As the House will know, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Comonwealth Affairs, invited the Chief Minister of St. Vincent and the Leader of the Opposition to London to discuss the steps necessary to resolve the unfortunate uncertainties about the electoral position which arose from the closeness of the general election results and four outstanding election petitions.

"After full discussion over the past 10 days, agreement has been reached between Her Majesty's Government and representatives of the Government and of the Opposition Party of St. Vincent that the Secretary of State should appoint a Boundary Commission to delimit 13 constituencies and a supervisor of elections to prepare new electoral rolls and to supervise the next general election which will be held not later than the end of 1968. Until these elections have been held there will, therefore, be no increase in the size of the present Legislature. On this basis, and subject to the enactment of the West Indies Bill, it was agreed that St. Vincent should become an Associated State not later than June 1, 1967.

"I should like to pay my sincere tribute to the constructive way in which the representatives from St. Vincent took part in these discussions and to the spirit of compromise which they showed in arriving at an agreed solution. It was, I believe, of very great importance to St. Vincent that every effort should have been made to reach an agreed solution.

"I have placed in the Library of the House copies of the document which was signed yesterday afternoon. Since it makes changes in the constitutional and transitional proposals embodied in the earlier White Paper (Cmnd. 3021), it will be published as a White Paper as soon as possible."

EARL JELLICOE

My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Beswick, for repeating this Statement. I think it speaks for itself, and I do not wish to go into details of the Agreement—at least, not until we have had a chance of looking at the Agreement which is shortly to be published in a White Paper. Meanwhile, I should like to confirm from these Benches that we are delighted to learn that an agreed solution has been reached to the rather tricky constitutional problem which had arisen in this lovely island.

LORD OGMORE

My Lords, the usual phrase "at a convenient moment after half-past three" seems to-day to have been a little more elastic than usual; but now that we have arrived at the "convenient moment" I should like to express my satisfaction and pleasure that this agreement has been arrived at in regard to St. Vincent. It would have been most unfortunate if it had not been arrived at. Indeed, even now, of course, St. Vincent will not be in the position of the other States concerned, in that it will not become an associate State this month, when West Indies Bill passes through Parliament, but will have to wait until June.

I should like to ask one question. In the rather peculiar circumstances in St. Vincent, have the Government thought of advising the Government of St. Vincent on the advisability of proportional representation? No doubt the noble Lord will remember that the late Conservative Government imposed proportional representation, with some success, on Guyana.

LORD CONESFORD

My Lords, as one who, a little over a year ago, enjoyed the hospitality of this delightful island when on a Parliamentary delegation, on which my companions were the noble Lord, Lord Willis, and two Members of another place, may I say how glad I am that an amicable agreement has been reached in this matter?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, may I, on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, thank the noble Lords who have made kind references to this Agreement? I am sure we are all happy that, despite the bitterness that there has been, a spirit of compromise prevailed at this more recent conference.

In reply to the noble Lord, Lord Ogmore, we had a number of difficult problems to consider, and on this particular occasion it was not thought wise to introduce, in addition, the possibility of proportional representation.