§ 76. Mr. H. Hyndasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what progress is being made towards the establishment of Legislative Councils in the three High Commission Territories in South Africa.
§ Mr. AlportIt is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to encourage the formation of representative institutions in the High Commission Territories, but at the present stage of political development of these Territories it would be premature to consider the establishment of legislative councils.
In his reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Bristol, South-East (Mr. Benn) on 25th October, 1956, the then 165W Parliamentary Under-Secretary described the advisory councils already existing in the High Commission Territories. In the course of the debate on 6th May, 1957, I described recent progress in the development of representative institutions in the three Territories, and, in answer to a Question by the hon. Member for Rugby (Mr. J. Johnson) on 27th February this year, I gave information about the development of Tribal and Area Councils in the Bechuanaland Protectorate.