§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for Air what arrangements are being made for bases in the Maldive Islands; and what objections have been received regarding the resettlement of the Gan inhabitants in neighbouring islands.
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Mr. WardAs explained by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations in reply to a Question from the hon. Member for Eton and Slough (Mr. Brockway) on 28th November, 1957, there are no proposals for the establishment of military bases, in the accepted sense, in the Maldives. The war-time airfield on Gan Island is being rebuilt for the Royal Air Force as an air staging post. Arrangements for the resettlement of the remaining inhabitants of Gan are being discussed with the Maldivian authorities.