§ Mr. Wyattasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Prime Minister of Malta has yet replied to the proposal by Her Majesty's Government that responsibility for matters relating to Malta should be transferred to the Home Office.
39W
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe Prime Minister of Malta replied three weeks ago that his Government had come to the conclusion that, before the particular question of the transfer of the affairs of Malta from the Colonial Office is pursued, negotiations between Her Majesty's Government and the Maltese Government should be undertaken with a view to reaching agreement, at least in principle, on a revision of the constitution and on the financial relations of Malta with Her Majesty's Government.
His reply did not, however, refer to a suggestion which I put to him in August that it might be a valuable step if repre- 40W sentatives of the political parties represented in the Maltese Legislative Assembly were to discuss with Her Majesty's Government in London the broad implications of the constitutional change involved in the transfer of responsibility to the Home Office. Such an all-party discussion may, I think, be regarded as a normal and acceptable way of clarifying and carrying forward further proposals of a constitutional nature. I hope to receive the reply of the Maltese Prime Minister to this suggestion in the near future.