§ 48. Mr. Fisherasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement about the Bermuda Constitutional Conference.
§ Mr. Frederick LeeI expect the conference to end formally this afternoon.
Bermuda has had representative Government since its House of Assembly first met in 1620. Under the new constitution it will have responsible government with the Governor retaining responsibility for defence, external affairs, internal security and the police.
The Legislature will be bicameral, the Upper House nominated and the Lower House elected. A Boundaries Commission of five members will be set up. Its Chairman will be appointed from outside Bermuda and one of its members will be a person who holds or has held high judicial office within the Commonwealth. These two members will be appointed by the Governor in his discretion. Two members will be appointed on the advice of the Leader of the majority Party and one on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition. Each of the nine parishes of Bermuda will be divided into two-member constituencies except one, which is heavily populated, which will be divided into four such constituencies. The Commission is to take no account of race and subject to the number of constituencies within each parish, the boundaries are to be drawn so that the number of adults within the constituencies are as near as may be equal.
The conference report was not unanimously adopted. There are two minority reports. The first signed by two Independents who consider the compromise arrangements adopted by the conference go too far. The second is from the Progressive Labour Party who, I regret, were not prepared to compromise and reserved 261W their positions on virtually every issue of importance.
I am arranging for advance copies of the conference report to be placed in the Library of the House.