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Dependent Territories
15 APRIL 1983
"Mr. Ivan Lawrence]
miles to protect the interests of those dependencies, but actively represents that concern in one of the Houses of Parliament.
I shall say a few words about Hong Kong. I do so with considerable deference because my hon. Friend the Member for Howden (Sir P. Bryan) has spoken about the matter and is-I hope that he will not be offended by the suggestion-almost the Hong Kong representative in the House. He never misses an opportunity to advance Hong Kong's case and he is a great expert on the matter.
Nevertheless, some hon. Members travel to Hong Kong and have travelled recently. It is right, when we have an opportunity to do so, to express our assessments of the situation so that they can be fed into the decision-making process. We are approaching, if we have not already reached a stage of great tension in Hong Kong. The tension is the result of Hong Kong's economic miracle and uncertainty about the dependency's future. The invest- ment, industry and commerce of Hong Kong will, as 1997 approaches, become increasingly more uncertain and strained. A short time ago I had discussions with prominent people in Hong Kong, following the visit of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. My right hon. Friend had gone to initiate the statesmanlike series of discussions that are necessary to reassure the people of Hong Kong and those who wish to invest there and maintain its economic excellence and viability. The result was not wholly as we would have wished and certain conclusions have been drawn.
First, the leaders in Hong Kong feel that we in Britain should not rush forward with solutions that have no reasonable chance of being accepted. They feel that we should leave the negotiating process for the future of Hong Kong to its essentially Chinese dimension. They believe that the long-term future of Hong Kong is very much wrapped up with its Chinese people and that if the Hong Kong Chinese were left alone for a time to discuss the future of Hong Kong with the Peking Chinese, a more practical solution, more acceptable to the financial, economic and commercial interests, would evolve. If more Chinese people from Hong Kong were to visit Peking, and if more Chinese people from Peking were to visit Hong Kong and from those visits came a greater understanding and a greater willingness to compromise, we should recognise that Chinese dimension and not be too anxious directly to involve ourselves at this stage.
Secondly, it would be all very well to accept a commitment from Deng Xiaoping in 1983 but, however honourable that commitment might be, there would be no guarantee that he or his regime will be in power when the final decisions come to be made. We have more difficulty than do the people of Hong Kong in appreciating that. Therefore, the answer is not to hasten a decision between Deng Xiaoping and the Government of Hong Kong. There seems to be very little confidence that such a conclusion will necessarily endure. The alternative is to try to keep the balls in the air for as long as possible and move through the Chinese dimension to a solution a little nearer the time at which it becomes absolutely necessary,
I said that I did not want to delay the next proceedings. I am extremely grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Orpington. If one message can go from the House today, it is that the House of Commons is intensely committed and dedicated to the maintenance of our dependencies not
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as an aspect of outdated British colonial rule but as a reflection of the love and affection that we have for our dependencies, our commitment to their survival and maintenance and our appreciation that they want to remain with us when so many other nations, large and small, have decided to go their own way.
12.56 pm
Mr. Clinton Davis (Hackney, Central): I join every hon. Member who has spoken thus far in offering the hon. Member for Orpington (Mr. Stanbrook) congratulations on resolving to debate a matter which is seldom discussed in the House and which has enabled a wide-ranging debate to take place today.
I also express my personal thanks to the hon. Gentleman for his great courtesy in informing me in advance of the general theme that he proposed to adopt, which was very helpful. If I express any dissent from his conclusions, it is in no way intended to reflect upon the measure of courtesy that he extended to me.
There have been a great many fine and ringing declarations about the loyalty of the dependencies to the United Kingdom, and they are to be seen, regrettably in marked contrast with the failure over many years on the part of this country to extend a better economic future and a better social climate in many of these dependencies. It was my hope that that position would abate, but I believe that the record of aid to the dependencies under this Government since 1979 has shown a decrease in real terms for at least half of the dependencies, and that is a regrettable state of affairs.
I want to make one or two comments in parenthesis before developing my main remarks about Hong Kong, the Falklands and Gibraltar. I start with a comment about the Cayman Islands, a tax haven, attractive as a centre of international finance for that reason but also developing as a flag of convenience country in maritime matters.
there
The development has been considerable. In 1977, were 106 ships under that flag with a very small gross registered tonnage. By 1982, the figure had grown to 242 and 310,000 gross registered tonnes in respect of that fleet. It is as well to point out that the Government have decided, evidently quite deliberately, to leave responsibility for the maintenance of a shipping register to the Cayman Island Government. It is said to be a domestic responsibility. The Cayman Islands lack any genuine economic link between the vessel and the flag state, and any effective maritime administration. A backward step has been taken because I can see no sign of any real concern for maritime safety. I say that with some feeling because, as a former shipping Minister in the previous Labour Government, I did not approve of the development of flags of convenience and the contracting out of international obligations. When British dependencies are involved I deplore that state of affairs.
The observations made in the absence of my hon. Friend the Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell) by the hon. and learned Member for Burton (Mr. Lawrence) were somewhat patronising and dismissive of him. The hon. and learned Gentleman referred to my hon. Friend as expressing a small view. I do not always agree with my hon. Friend, but he expresses his views with courage, concern and with a great sense of determination because he believes that what he says is right. The House of Commons would be a sad place if small views could not
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