§ Mr. Awbery72.and 73. asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) the names of the members of the Commonwealth Commission which is to draft the constitution for the Federation of Malaya; what countries they represent; and when they will commence their deliberations;
(2) what reasons have been given to him for the delay by Canada, Pakistan and India in nominating members of the 174W commission for drafting the new constitution of Malaya.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe right hon. Lord Reid has accepted appointment as Chairman and the right hon. Sir William McKell as the Australian Member of the Federation of Malaya Constitutional Commission. The Commission will be independent and its Members will not represent the countries from which they are drawn. I should like to express the gratitude of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom to the Governments of Canada, Australia, India and Pakistan who have readily agreed to nominate Members. It necessarily takes some time to find persons of the necessary eminence and calibre who are able and willing to divest themselves of their other commitments in order to take on this important work. I am hopeful that outstanding nominations will be made in time for the Commission to start work in Malaya about the beginning of June.