§ Mr. J. Hyndasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any statement to make about the rehabilitation of Castries, St. Lucia.
Mr. Creech JonesYes. Four-fifths of the town of Castries, the capital of St. Lucia, was destroyed by fire on the night of 19th-20th June. His Majesty's Government have agreed to make an immediate free grant of £35,000 to the Colony as a grant-in-aid of relief of distress in Castries. It is His Majesty's Government's further intention to provide substantial assistance towards the rehabilitation of Castries, and I propose at a later date to ask Parliament to vote the necessary funds for this and for the grant to which I have referred. The exact amount and manner of assistance which will be provided by His Majesty's Government can only be determined after I have completed the examination of the plans which have been sent to me, and of the resources available to meet the necessities of the situation, which already include generous help from private sources.