The Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962 (c. 54) was an
Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
that granted
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
to
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
with effect from 31 August 1962.
As a result of the Act, Trinidad and Tobago became an
independent country in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
achieving independence from the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
Background to enactment
The bill was first presented in the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom as the ''Trinidad and Tobago Independence Bill'' on 4 July 1962, by
Secretary of State for the Colonies,
Reginald Maudling
Reginald Maudling (7 March 1917 – 14 February 1979) was a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1962 to 1964 and as Home Secretary from 1970 to 1972. From 1955 until the late 1960s, he was spoken of as a prospecti ...
. It was passed in the House of Commons after a third reading and committee on 6 July 1962, without amendments.
It entered the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
on 9 July 1962 and was read by
George Petty-Fitzmaurice, 8th Marquess of Lansdowne
George John Charles Mercer Nairne Petty-Fitzmaurice, 8th Marquess of Lansdowne, DL (27 November 1912 – 25 August 1999), was a British peer and Conservative politician.
Background
Petty-Fitzmaurice was the only son of Lord Charles Mercer Nair ...
(The Minister of State for Colonial Affairs) on 16 July 1962. It was passed in the House of Lords on 26 July 1962 without any amendments.
The bill received
Royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
on 1 August 1962, from
Queen Elizabeth II.
Content
Key areas of the Act included:
*''Section 1'' - ceding responsibility from the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
*''Section 2'' - effects of citizenship and
British nationality
British nationality law prescribes the conditions under which a person is recognised as being a national of the United Kingdom. The six different classes of British nationality each have varying degrees of civil and political rights, due to the ...
. This section was later repealed by the
British Nationality Act 1981
The British Nationality Act 1981 (c.61) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning British nationality since 1 January 1983.
History
In the mid-1970s the British Government decided to update the nationality code, which had b ...
.
*''First Schedule'' - granting legislative powers to the
legislature of Trinidad and Tobago
See also
*
History of Trinidad and Tobago
The history of Trinidad and Tobago begins with the settlements of the islands by Indigenous First Peoples. Trinidad was visited by Christopher Columbus on his third voyage in 1498, (he never landed in Tobago), and claimed in the name of Spain. ...
*
List of Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, 1960–79
References
{{Trinidad and Tobago topics
Independence acts in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1962
1962 in politics
1962 in international relations
History of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago–United Kingdom relations
Trinidad and Tobago and the Commonwealth of Nations
United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations