§ 66. Mr. Skeffingtonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what stage has been reached in negotiations about the constitutional future of Mauritius.
§ 70. Mr. Brockwayasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what report he has received of the talks between the Governor and the leaders of the Labour Party in Mauritius regarding the method of the appointment of members of the Executive Council.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI am glad to say that my discussions with the Governor have shown that there is a great deal of common ground on the basic issues involved and I am hopeful that further consultation will enable us to reach decisions which will be generally acceptable in Mauritius.
Details of Her Majesty's Government's proposals were set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Rugby (Mr. J. Johnson) on 13th March. In brief, they provided for:
- (a) a franchise and system of voting which would produce a Legislative Council reflecting more accurately the views of the people of Mauritius than is the case under the present block vote system;
- (b) the grant to, and acceptance by, Executive Council of responsibility for government of the country;
- (c) co-operation in a broadly based Executive Council between representatives of the various groups.
As hon. Members are aware objections have been raised in Mauritius to the particular form of voting proposed and to the method of selection of members of Executive Council. I am prepared to examine these objections within the 51W framework of the three essential principles set out above, and I am considering how best this re-examination can be arranged.
I am placing in the Library copies of recent correspondence with the Mauritius Labour Party.