41. Mr. Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the financial negotiations with the Government of Malta.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeAs the House will be aware, further Ministerial discussions were held in Rome last week. An increased N.A.T.O. offer was put forward. But progress towards settling the outstanding issues of concern to N.A.T.O. and ourselves remained slow and difficult; and Mr. Mintoff raised new financial demands. Discussions between officials are at present taking place in Malta, with the aim of narrowing the area of disagreement between the two sides; but no precise arrangements have been made yet for a further meeting at Ministerial level.
§ 44. Mr. Woodhouseasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for the continuation of the advisory functions initiated by the Steering Committee for Malta under the chairmanship of Lord R obens.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeNone. Both the British and Malta Governments have accepted the Joint Steering Committee's view that its advisory rôle should be regarded as at an end.
I should like to take this opportunity to thank Lord Robens, as Chairman, and his two colleagues, Professor C. R. Ross and my hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, for the contribution they made by their advice in following up from the 311W British side the 1967 Joint Mission's recommendations for strengthening and expanding the Maltese economy.