Mr. Creech Jonesasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the extent to which the recommendations of the Royal Commission on East Africa are being applied since his White Paper following the consideration of the Report by the East African Governments.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe numerous recommendations of the Commission have acted as a stimulus to all the East African Governments in solving their social and economic problems. Financial difficulties have to some extent proposed a check; but it is to be hoped that the proposals announced in the Gracious Speech for continued and new grants under the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts will help to relieve these difficulties.
My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, during the debate on 31st May, 1957, gave a general picture of progress at that time; and referred to the official conference at Arusha of those concerned with land tenure. Since that debate both the Tanganyika and Kenya Governments have published proposals for a new 29W tenure policy for land hitherto held under customary tenure. The Kenya proposals include recommendations for the freehold ownership of land by individual Africans. In Uganda, where proposals were published rather earlier, one district has already accepted them and they are being brought into effect there.
A number of inquiries have been made on various aspects of urban problems on which recommendations were made by the Royal Commission and a similar conference to consider these recommendations was held at Ndola in February last. The report of the Conference, a copy of which is being placed in the Library of the House, indicated that much progress had been made in implementing some of the more important recommendations of the Royal Commission relating to urban problems.