asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when it will be possible to have Georgetown, British Guiana, declared a city and its Mayor a Lord Mayor.

Georgetown has been a city for over a hundred years. The style of Lord Mayor is conferred in exercise of the Royal Prerogative. No formal request for the grant of this dignity has been made.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that there is a certain feeling in Georgetown that they have this by right already, and they do not realise that they must apply for it? In view of the possibility of giving independence, will he remember that Nairobi was given this honour by Prince Philip?

There are no precedents for the grant of this dignity to the mayors of cities in dependent territories and only a few to mayors in independent Commonwealth territories. There are, of course, many cities in this country which would also like this honour conferred upon their first citizens.