§ Sir Frederick Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the outcome of his talks with the Gibraltarian delegation led by the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition which recently visited London; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HattersleyTalks were held in London on 24th to 25th June between myself and the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition from Gibraltar. The talks were at the request of the Gibraltarian delegation and concerned proposals put forward by a Gibraltar Constitution Committee. The proposals, and Her Majesty's Government's replies, are set out in a Memorandum published in Gibraltar on 28th June and now placed in the Library of the House. Her Majesty's 345W Government considered several of the proposals undesirable, and were not convinced of the need for a Constitutional Conference. However we undertook to give favourable consideration to the proposal to establish a committee system of government in Gibraltar if this is shown to have public support. I assured the delegation that Her Majesty's Government's policy remains based on the pledge in the preamble to the 1969 Gibraltar Constitution.