CONFIDENTIAL
DRAST
PEERS FROM THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES IN A REFORMED HOUSE OF
Memorandum by the Commonwealth Office
In a memorandum of May 1968, the question was considered
of whether, in a reformed House of Lords, there should be more
speaking peers from the other independent Commonwealth countries.
It was concluded that any such scheme could not cover more than
a handful of countries and was fraught with so many difficul-
ties that it was more likely to be a divisive than a unifying
feature of the Commonwealth relationship.
the
2. In this present memorandum á rather different question is
considered of whether a reformed House of Lords should contain
speaking peers from the British dependent territories.
ADVANTAGES
3.
The advantages of such representation seem to be:
(1) It would enable the 'voice' of the dependent
territories to be heard in the House of Lords;
(11) It would be a means of providing influential
counsel from the dependent territories to the
Parliament and Government which are responsible
for them;
(111) It would enable the House of Lords to have more
informed debates on our remaining colonial
problems;
(iv) It would rea sure the dependent territories of
continuing British interest in them and help to
allay any fears of premature abandonment;
(v) It would stimulate intelligent and informed
interest in Britain generally about the dependent
territories.
NON-OPJECTIONS
4. Many of the objections set out in the memorandum of Nay
for
1968 do not apply to peerages persons from the dependent
territories.
Thus:
(1) The vast majority of inhabitants of those
Not true of
Hong Kong
| (1)
territories owe allegiance to The Queen and
CONFI DEPTIAL
/honours