HC Deb 12 April 1988 vol 131 cc29-30W
Mr. Foulkes

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the status of the representative of the Government of Fiji resident in London.

Mr. Eggar

The representative of Fiji resident in London is at present charge d'affaires ad interim, pending the arrival of an ambassador, who is expected shortly.

Mr. Foulkes

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the terms of Lord Salisbury's Dispatch, the treaty between the Governments of Fiji, India and the United Kingdom. are still in force; and what is his assessment of its validity in the current circumstances in Fiji.

Mr. Eggar

The dispatch from the Secretary of State for India to the Viceroy of India dated 24 March 1875 indicated principles by which British colonial Governments should be guided in their dealings with emigrants from India. The proposals in this dispatch were never formally accepted, however, although they were occasionally upheld by some colonial administrations in the British empire. The dispatch's only relevance to present circumstances in the modern Republic of Fiji is as an example of attempts to manage race relations in the past.