§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs (1) what arrangements he proposes to make to ensure that Wales and Scotland have national pavilions amongst the 70 other national pavilions at Expo 67 in Montreal;
(2) whether he is satisfied that arrangements made by his Department at Expo 67 in Montreal are adequate to present the national achievements of Wales and Scotland in the past and present, and their national prospects for the future; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what is the cost of plans to present the national life of Wales, Scotland and England, respectively, at Expo 67 in Montreal;
(4) what Welsh cultural groups will take part at Expo 67 in Montreal amongst the national opera companies, symphony orchestras, national theatres and dance troupes from the 70 countries represented;
(5) what nation of the four in the countries of Great Britain will provide the entertainment on 1st June next at Expo 67 in Montreal;
(6) which of the four national flags of the four countries of Great Britain will be raised at the flag-raising ceremony on 1st June at Expo 67 in Montreal;
(7) whether the Red Dragon of Wales will fly above a national pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal.
§ Mr. BowdenIn accordance with the International Exhibitions Convention of 1928, of which both Her Majesty's Government and the Canadian Government are signatories, the latter invited Her Majesty's Government to participate in the Exhibition at Montreal which is to run from 28th April to 27th October, 1967. Her Majesty's Government were glad to accept.
Only Governments of States (in the international sense) organise national representation in such cases. No separate representation by the component parts of the United Kingdom of their cultures or their flags is therefore contemplated, either in the pavilion itself or in the 357W cultural and other ancillary activities connected with it. What our planners and designers are trying to do is to present an image of the United Kingdom as a whole, all its peoples, their history, achievements and future.
The cost of our participation is being met entirely from Her Majesty's Government's funds. The total for the unified participation we are planning is in the region of £2,500,000. No further expenditure can be contemplated in the present state of our economy.
It is permissible under the Convention for sectional and private interests to participate separately with the consent of their country's Commissioner-General. In such cases however, the cost would have to be met by the interests concerned. A proposal floated by the Scotsman for a Scottish pavilion was abandoned.