C
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION
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The draft reply should reach the Parliamentary Unit through your Under-Secretary by
11 December 1990
NOON
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ON FRIDAY
Q
12 DEZEMBER 80
Belize.
Mr Michael Brown (Brigg and Scunthorpe ) To ask the Lord Privy Seal what consult tions he has had with the administrations of the following territories during which the local political leaders were invited to consider the possibility of a change of sovereignty or encouraged to assume full independence: Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Falkland Islands and dependencies, Cibraltar, Hong Kong, the Pitcairn Islands, St. Helena and Ascension, Antigua, Tristan da Cunha, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, St Kitts, Anguilla, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Mr Nicholas Ridley
HMG's policy with regard to independence for the remaining territories
for which it has responsibility is to respect the wishes of the local
inhabitants as expressed through their elected leaders. Discussions
have recently taken place with local administrations in the following
instances:
Belize
I have had several meetings on this subject during the past year with
the Premier of Belize and with representatives of the Belizean
opposition.
A Constitutional Conference will be called in the near
future with the intention of bringing Belize to early independence.
Falkland Islands and Dependencies
I would refer my honourable Friend to the statement I made on
2 December.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Talks were held in November 1979 with the then Government of the
Turks and Caicos Islands and moves towards independence by 1982 were
agreed in principle. The Government reconsidered their position just
prior to the elections of November 1980 in which they were defeated.
The present Government have said that they prefer to move more slowly
towards independence and have not proposed any date.
/There