§ Sir John Rodgersasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the reasons for closing the British Embassy in Tananarive, Madagascar; and if there is any prospect of this being reopened because of its importance to British trade in this area.
§ Mr. EnnalsThe decision to close the British Embassy in Tananarive is a direct result of reductions in public expenditure for 1976–77 announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget earlier this year. In these circumstances there is no prospect of the decision being reversed.
I hope to arrange for our interests in Madagascar, including trade, to be covered by arrangements for diplomatic accredition from a nearby country. We 603W plan to discuss this with the Malagasy Government.