Mr. Creech Jonesasked the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies whether steps are being taken to set up the Colonial Development and Welfare Advisory Committee contemplated by the 1940 Act and White Paper 6175; and why has an official committee, under Lord Dufferin, been appointed to examine and press on with schemes submitted under the Act?
§ Mr. George HallNo, Sir. The time is still not considered opportune for the appointment of advisory committees of the kind contemplated when the proposals for the policy of Colonial Development and Welfare were formulated. The reasons for this view, which I explained to the House in a speech on the 11th June, 1940, still hold good at the present time. My Noble Friend has, however, decided that, as a matter of Departmental machinery, arrangements for dealing with proposals for expenditure from the Colonial Development and Welfare Vote would be facilitated by the appointment of a small Office Committee, and he invited Lord Dufferin who, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the time when the policy was formulated, is especially well qualified for this purpose, to preside over the Committee. I am very glad to say that Lord Dufferin has agreed to do this.