A Bill will be introduced to assist the financing of the coal industry and the redeployment of its manpower. A Bill will be introduced to establish a Land Commission with power to acquire land for the community and to recover a part of the development value realised in land transactions. My Ministers will introduce legislation to reform the leasehold system for residential property in England and Wales, including provision for leasehold enfranchisement. Legislation will be introduced to establish a new system of Exchequer subsidies for local authority housing. A Bill will be introduced to regulate priorities in privately sponsored construction. Legislation will be introduced to lessen the injustices of the rating system and to limit the burden of rates. My Ministers will continue to develop higher education. A Bill will be introduced to facilitate revision of the constitution of the older Scottish universities and to provide for separate universities at St. Andrews and Dundee. My Government will take steps to provide more teachers and promote further advances in secondary education on comprehensive lines. A Public Schools Commission will be set up to advise on the best way of integrating the public schools with the State system. Measures will be laid before you to provide supplementary national insurance benefits, related to earnings, in the early stages of sickness, unemployment and widowhood; to extend the supplementation of workmen's compensation; and to empower agricultural wages boards to fix minimum rates of sick pay for agricultural workers. Other measures will increase the pensions of retired members of the public services and their dependants and provide a pensions scheme for teachers' widows in England and Wales. My Government are studying with the medical profession ways of improving the family doctor service and will introduce the necessary legislation. Measures will be introduced to improve the administration of justice and to reform and modernise the law. My Government will promote the provision of improved services for the family, the development of new means of dealing with young persons who now come before the courts and the advancement of penal reform. Further steps will be directed to the effective integration of immigrants into the community and to strengthening the control of Commonwealth immigration. A measure will be introduced to provide for fuller disclosure of information by companies, including the disclosure of political contributions. A Bill will be introduced for the appointment of a Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration with powers to investigate individual grievances. My Ministers will bring forward proposals for the more effective co-ordination of inland transport. You will be invited to approve a measure designed to promote greater safety on the roads. Provision for meeting the special needs of Scotland will be made in the various measures proposed by My Government. Other measures will be laid before you. My Lords and Members of the House of Commons I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels. ACT OF PARLIAMENT to make provision with respect to Southern Rhodesia [13 & 14 Eliz. 2. Ch. 76] [16th November 1965] Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: 1. It is hereby declared that Southern Rhodesia continues to be part of Her Majesty's dominions, and that the Government and Parliament of the United Kingdom have responsibility and jurisdiction as heretofore for and in respect of it. 2. (1) Her Majesty may by Order in Council make such provision in relation to Southern Rhodesia, or persons or things in any way belonging to or connected with Southern Rhodesia, as appears to Her to be necessary or expedient in consequence of any unconstitutional action taken therein. (2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) of this section an Order in Council thereunder may make such provision (a) for suspending, amending, revoking or adding to any of the provisions of the Constitution of Southern Rhodesia 1961;(1) (b) for modifying, extending or suspending the operation of any enactment or instrument in relation to Southern Rhodesia, or persons or things in any way belonging to or connected with Southern Rhodesia; (c) for imposing prohibitions, restrictions or obligations in respect of transactions relating to Southern Rhodesia or any such persons or things, as appears to Her Majesty to be necessary or expedient as aforesaid; and any provision made by or under such an Order may apply to things done or omitted outside as well as within the United Kingdom or other country or territory to which the Order extends. (3) An Order in Council under this section may make or authorise the making of such incidental, supplemental and consequential provisions as appear to Her Majesty to be expedient for the purposes of the Order, and any provision made by or under such an Order may be made to have effect from any date not earlier than 11th November 1965. (4) An Order in Council under this section may be revoked or varied by a subsequent Order in Council thereunder. (5) An Order in Council under this section shall be laid before Parliament after being made and shall expire at the end of the period of twenty-eight days beginning with the day on which it was made unless during that period it is approved by resolution of each House of Parliament. The expiration of an Order in pursuance of this subsection shall not affect the operation of the Order as respects things previously done or omitted to be done or the power to make a (1) Vol. 166, page 21. new Order; and in calculating the period aforesaid no account shall be taken of any time during which Parliament is dissolved or prorogued or during which both Houses are adjourned for more than four days. 3. (1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, section 2 of this Act shall continue in force for the period of one year beginning with the date of the passing of this Act and shall then expire unless it is continued in force in accordance with subsection (2) of this section. (2) Her Majesty may from time to time by Order in Council provide that section 2 of this Act shall continue in force for a period of one year beyond the date on which it would otherwise expire; but no recommendation shall be made to Her Majesty in Council to make an Order under this subsection unless a draft of the Order has been laid before Parliament and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament. (3) The expiration of section 2 of this Act shall not affect— (a) the operation of that section as respects things previously done or omitted to be done; or (b) the Constitution of Southern Rhodesia 1961 as in force immediately before the expiration of that section. 4. (1) This Act may be cited as the Southern Rhodesia Act 1965. (2) This Act extends to Southern Rhodesia, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, any colony or protectorate within the meaning of the British Nationality Act 1948,(2) and (to the extent of Her Majesty's jurisdiction therein) to any foreign country or territory in which for the time being Her Majesty has jurisdiction: Provided that no Order in Council under section 2 of this Act shall extend to any place other than the United Kingdom or Southern Rhodesia as part of the law of that place, except so far as it makes provision with respect to ships or aircraft to which this section applies, or affects the operation of any Act of Parliament which has effect in that place, with or without modifications, as part of its law, or of any instrument in force under any such Act. (3) This section applies to British ships registered in the United Kingdom or any other country or place to which this Act extends, and to aircraft so registered. (2) Vol. 150, page 480. CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSALS for Antigua, St. KittsNevis Anguilla, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada. December, 1965(1) Since the Federation of The West Indies was dissolved in 1962, the possibility of forming a federation between Barbados, Antigua, Montserrat, St. Kitts/Nevis/Anguilla, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada has been the subject of extensive but inconclusive discussion. Grenada withdrew from the talks in 1962 and Antigua in 1965; and in August, 1965, the Government of Barbados proposed to its Legislature that Barbados should proceed to separate independence before considering federation further.(2) 2. The British Government still believe that closer association between the territories offers the best future prospect for the area but they recognise that this is a matter for local decision. In the meantime, some of the Governments concerned have asked for early constitutional changes giving them greater control over their own affairs. The British Government have great sympathy with the object of these requests, but they also feel that the time has come to replace the existing colonial relationship by a new form of association. Accordingly they have made new and comprehensive constitutional proposals to each of the Governments of Antigua, St. Kitts/Nevis/Anguilla, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada which, if they are acceptable to the territories and to Parliament, will, they believe, achieve these two objectives. (The British Government intend to discuss constitutional changes for the much smaller territory of Montserrat separately with that Government at a later date.) 3. The proposals offer each territory arrangements under which it would become a state in association with Britain, with control of its internal affairs and with the right to amend its own constitution, including the power to end the association with Britain and to declare itself independent. They are set out in detail in the memorandum in Appendix I which has been sent to the Administrators of the territories under cover of the despatches in Appendices II-VII.(3) (1) Cmnd. 2865. (2) Page 3 (Note). |