§ 3.11 p.m.
§ Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What are the institutional arrangements by which Her Majesty the Queen seeks and receives advice from Commonwealth Prime Ministers other than the British.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Glenarthur)My Lords, it is for the government of each Commonwealth country of which the Queen is Head of State to make its own arrangements for proffering ministerial advice to Her Majesty. The question does not arise with Commonwealth countries of which the Queen is not Head of State.
§ Lord KennetMy Lords, will the Government always bear in mind that it is no longer the British Commonwealth of Nations as it used to be but just the Commonwealth? Will they consider an extension of the practice whereby at Commonwealth Prime Ministers' meetings which are held in different places round the world the chair is taken by the Prime Minister of the host country for that meeting?
§ Lord GlenarthurMy Lords, the Queen is present at Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings as Head of the Commonwealth at the invitation of the host government.
§ Lord Cledwyn of PenrhosMy Lords, will the noble Lord enlighten the House on one point? When Commonwealth governments proffer advice to Her Majesty as Head of the Commonwealth, is that advice proffered directly to Her Majesty or is it filtered through No. 10 Downing Street?
§ Lord GlenarthurMy Lords, I understand that this might normally be from the Prime Minister concerned through the Governor General direct.
§ Lord Hatch of LusbyMy Lords, if that is the case, will the noble Lord tell the House how the findings of the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Harare regarding sanctions on South Africa would be filtered through to Her Majesty? Do they come through No. 10 Downing Street? The Government were not represented in Harare and are known to be opposed to the findings of that meeting.
§ Lord GlenarthurMy Lords, the Question that was asked related to Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings, as I understood, that the Queen attends. In the next case the meeting will be in Malaysia in October. Questions concerning South Africa go rather wider than the Question on the Order Paper.