§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what conclusions were reached at the Grenada Constitutional Conference.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE)My Lords, Her Majesty's Government have decided that it would be right to confer independence on Grenada. Subject to the approval of Parliament, they will recommend to the Queen that an Order in Council should be made under Section 10(2) of the West Indies Act 1967. I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the text of a message which the Chairman of the Conference, my right honourable friend Lord Balniel, has sent to the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition in Grenada. The Report of the Conference will be made available as a White Paper in the near future.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, while appreciating that reply, and particularly the information that is to be given—may I ask the noble Baroness this question? I appreciate the difficulties, but was any assurance given that under the new Constitution human rights will be safeguarded?
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEYes, my Lords, the Conference agreed that an Independence Constitution for Grenada should include the human rights provisions and the arrangements for their entrenchment contained in the existing Constitution.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, in welcoming that answer, may I ask the 98 noble Baroness whether the proposal considered at the consultations when my noble friend Lord Greenwood of Rossendale was a Minister, that there should be a referendum, or the proposal that a Commission of West Indians should prepare the Constitution so that it would be acceptable to the whole people, were considered?
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, the West Indies Act 1967 provides two means by which the associated State may become independent. Under Section 10(1) of the Act a referendum is required. We are bringing forward Independence under Section 10(2) because both the Government of Grenada and ourselves are in agreement that there should be independence.
§ Following is the text of the message referred to in the main Answer:
§ TEXT OF THE MESSAGE FROM LORD BALNIEL DELIVERED TO THE PREMIER OF GRENADA (MR. GAIRY) AND THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION (MR. BLAIZE) ON MAY 31, 1973:
§ At the conclusion of the constitutional conference which was held in London from May 14 to 18, I said that I and the United Kingdom delegation had listened very carefully to the arguments advanced by both the Grenada Government delegation and the Opposition delegation on the request which had been made to Her Majesty's Government that independence should be conferred on Grenada by Order in Council made under section 10(2) of the West Indies Act 1967. I promised that Her Majesty's Government would consider the matter, taking carefully into account not only everything that had been said at the conference, but also all other information that was available to them. I promised that Her Majesty's Government's decision would be made known as soon as possible.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-Home and I have since consulted our colleagues who have given very careful consideration to the question which we all recognise as being of great importance to the people of Grenada. As you will remember I told the conference that it would not have been convened if Her Majesty's Government had not been of the opinion that independence could legally be conferred on Grenada by Order in Council under section 10(2) of the West Indies Act 1967, provided that they were satisfied that in all the circumstances this was a justifiable course.
§ Having considered all the arguments put to them and the information available to them, Her Majesty's Government have now decided that it would be right and proper to confer independence on Grenada in accordance with that procedure.
§ Subject therefore to the approval of Parliament (as required by section 17 of the West Indies Act 1967), Her Majesty's Government 99 will be prepared in due course to recommend to the Queen that an Order in Council should be made under section 10(2) of that Act to terminate the status of association of Grenada with the United Kingdom as from a date to be specified in the Order.
§ Her Majesty's Government will also be prepared, on receiving the request and consent of the State signified in accordance with section 19(5) of the West Indies Act 1967, to recommend to the Queen that an Order in Council should be made under section 5(4) of that Act to make appropriate constitutional provision for independence to take effect on the termination of association.
§ The introduction into the Grenada legislature of the necessary resolution to signify the "request and consent" referred to above will provide opportunity for the expression of public opinion on the form of the proposed independence constitution as discussed at the recent constitutional conference in London.