§ Mr. Fisherasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reports he has had from the Governments of the West Indies and Mauritius as to opinion in those territories on the Cuban trade agreement.
Mr. DugdaleThe hon. Member presumably refers to trade discussions between the United Kingdom and Cuba. No new trade agreement with Cuba has yet been made. I have received representations from the Governments of the British West Indies and British Guiana recording the views of those Governments and opinion in those territories on the possible effects of such an agreement. The London representative of the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture has brought fully to my notice the views of Mauritian interests.
The Governments of these Colonies have been informed that in any trade agreement which the United Kingdom may make with Cuba nothing 9W will be done to invalidate the Commonwealth Sugar Agreements negotiated in 1950, and that His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are fully aware of and have much in mind the interests of the Colonial territories concerned. My hon. Friend the Secretary for Overseas Trade left London on 14th May on a short visit to the British West Indies to discuss with representatives of the Colonies the negotiations between the United Kingdom Government and Cuba about imports of Cuban cigars and sugar.