§ Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Attorney-General if he will introduce legislation to expand the Judicial Committee of the 172W Privy Council so as to make it a Commonwealth Court, with personnel drawn from the various realms in the Commonwealth and holding its sittings, when appropriate, within those realms.
§ The Attorney-GeneralNo. Legislation is not needed for either purpose.
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council already includes members drawn from many different Commonwealth Countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon and the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. My noble Friend, the Lord Chancellor, hopes to see that membership further extended, as he regards the Judicial Committee as a most valuable Commonwealth link. He would not exclude the possibility of the Judicial Committee sitting in Commonwealth countries overseas if requests for such sittings were to be made and certain practical difficulties could be overcome.