asked the Attorney-General whether he will introduce legislation to prevent the acquisition by prescription of rights of way and other easements over vacant war-damaged sites, which cannot yet be redeveloped, in favour of buildings which adjoin them

I do not think that legislation is required for this purpose. As my hon. Friend knows, the acquisition of a right of way can easily be prevented under the law as it stands by obstructing passage over the land or by putting up a notice and I am not aware that there is any serious risk of other easements being acquired over vacant war-damaged sites.

My hon. and learned Friend will recollect that it is quite easy to acquire the right, particularly to light, if the prescribed period under the Act continues uninterrupted, but if there is any lengthy delay in redeveloping war-damaged sites, is there not a serious risk that such right to light, and indeed other rights, may duly be acquired?

We have considered this matter very carefully and we do not consider that there is any serious risk.

asked the Attorney-General when the report of the Royal Commission on the Marriage Laws will be presented

I am not yet in a position to say when the report of the Royal Commission is likely to be presented.

As it is many months since this Commission ceased hearing evidence, can the hon. and learned Gentleman say when he is likely to be able to tell us anything at all about it?

No, Sir.

Has the hon. and learned Gentleman any idea when the report is likely to be received?

That would be a pure matter of speculation on my part. Obviously, it will take a great deal of time to prepare a report covering such a wide field.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will introduce legislation to require persons or companies resident outside the jurisdiction of the courts of the United Kingdom and owning residential properties in the United Kingdom to appoint identifiable persons resident in the United Kingdom against whom civil or criminal proceedings can be instituted when necessary

No, Sir.

Is the Solicitor-General aware that the Brady slums are now owned by Morelle Ltd., of 8, Upper O'Connell Street, Dublin, whose London representative is a dubious man of straw who calls himself W. Leslie, of 11–13, Baker Street? Will the hon. and learned Gentleman consider whether or not he should take steps to stop this crooked method of perpetuating what is a pernicious racket?

Where an overseas company is carrying on business in this country it has the duty, imposed by the Companies Act, 1948, to register in this country and to deliver a list of persons resident in Great Britain who are authorised to accept service of process. If that is not done, criminal proceedings can be launched. So far as the latter part of the hon. and gallant Gentleman's Question is concerned, it would, I think, be difficult to find persons willing to accept criminal responsibility as nominees for companies outside the jurisdiction of British courts.

Is the Solicitor-General aware of the fact that these companies, which are outside this country, are issuing proceedings against persons resident in houses which they own in this country and that there is no possibility, in a practical sense, either of taking effective action against the companies to compel them to do repairs or anything of that kind and that, moreover, if the tenant wins his case he often cannot even get the costs? Will he do something to remedy this position?

If a company carrying on business outside the jurisdiction ventures to bring proceedings in the courts of this country it should not be difficult to get security for costs.

Has any action been taken to verify whether persons authorised to accept service do, in fact, exist?

Does the Solicitor-General realise that there is an increasing number of cases of this kind, and that it is no answer for him to say that criminal proceedings can be taken, because it is difficult to find anybody against whom to take criminal proceedings? Cannot steps be taken to see that companies incorporated abroad should have to register before they carry on trade here and are made to register before they are allowed to carry on trade?

I am not aware of an increasing number of cases of this character. The law as it stands provides that overseas companies carrying on business here are bound to register here. If that Section of the Act is not complied with, steps would be taken to secure that it is. If it is not complied with there is available the possibility of evidence to launch a prosecution for the penalties which are prescribed by the Companies Act.

Is it not clear from the terms of the Question itself, with regard to civil proceedings at least, that all these companies must necessarily have assets in this country against which proceedings of some kind could ultimately be taken?

asked the Attorney-General whether he will ask the Director of Public Prosecutions to make further investigations into the illegality of the use of fictitious names and accommodation addresses, details of which have been supplied, in connection with the ownership of residential properties in Brixton and other parts of London

asked the Attorney-General whether he will consider referring to the Director of Public Prosecutions the evidence submitted to him by the hon. Member for Deptford, that owners of house property in London are illegally conducting their business activities under fictitious names and from accommodation addresses

The Director of Public Prosecutions has been asked to make further investigations.

Is the Solicitor-General aware that this is the first answer that he has given today that will be received with some satisfaction by those of us who are interested in cleaning up a really deplorable state of affairs, in which many tenants are condemned to live in the most abominable circumstances by the persons referred to?

Does the Solicitor-General realise that his answer will give great satisfaction to a great many of the local authorities in South London who have tried, quite fruitlessly, to serve notices and summonses on one Brady, a racketeering landlord who has enjoyed the alias of Waters, the fraudulent gentleman who has just got away with it?

It is, perhaps, unfortunate, that this Question did not appear a little earlier on the Order Paper than others I have answered today; but it would be undesirable for me to make any comment on these matters, because they are under investigation.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware of the difficulties which tenants of houses controlled under the Rent Acts are experiencing in enforcing their legal remedies against landlords which are companies registered in Eire; and whether he will introduce legislation to prevent the evasion of their obligations by such companies

I am not aware that any difficulties have been experienced in enforcing remedies against landlords who are companies registered in Eire, and I do not propose to introduce legislation. If the hon. Member will let me have particulars of any case in which difficulties have been experienced I will, of course, have inquiries made.

Would the Solicitor-General accept it from me through practical experience that these companies sometimes change from one to the other the ownership of properties, that as soon as they have the opportunity they sell properties to other persons, and that consequently it is impossible to get even costs from them for a defendant who has been successful in view of the fact that the company has no assets here? Will he go into the whole matter?

I am aware from reports in the newspapers and other reports that there have been difficulties in certain instances in identifying and tracing the landlord or landlords of particular tenants, but I have no information of proceedings brought by those tenants against those landlords or of any difficulty in enforcing the remedies that the law gives against such landlords when they are identified.

Would the hon. and learned Gentleman be good enough to look at a list of cases from the borough of Southwark in which the borough council has been unable to deliver notices against this group of owners? In addition to that, tenants living in awful conditions are having letters threatening them with prosecution unless they pay their rents.

I should be glad to look at any information with which the right hon. Gentleman may supply me.

asked the Attorney-General what remuneration is paid to commissioners acting as High Court judges to dispose of criminal and civil cases.

Commissioners of Assize are remunerated at the rate of 100 guineas a week or part of a week. Special Commissioners for Divorce are paid at therate of 15 guineas a day, subject to a maximum of 2,700 guineas a year; county court judges receive no extra remuneration for sitting as Special Commissioners for Divorce.

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman satisfied that this rate of pay attracts the most competent commissioners in view of a recent appeal in which the Lord Chief Justice had to quash the conviction of a notorious and fraudulent slum racketeer known under the names of Arthur Bertram Waters, Brady, and many other names?

We cannot suppose that there is any widespread demand for increasing this remuneration at the present time.

Whatever the gentleman in question may be, as, rightly or wrongly, he has been found not guilty, is it in order for the hon. and gallant Member to attack him in these terms?

I was not aware of the circumstances of the case, but, of course, no attack should be made upon a commissioner or one holding judicial office without notice being given and a substantive Motion being put upon the Order Paper.

May I respectfully submit, Mr. Speaker, that in the course of the appeal to which I refer, the Lord Chief Justice made it quite clear that in his view this man was a fraudulent and dishonest person?

I do not know the circumstances of the case.

asked the Attorney-General how many prosecutions, involving a charge of public mischief, have been initiated in the last five years.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has advised or instituted proceedings in 38 prosecutions involving public mischief since 1st January, 1949. The number of prosecutions by other persons is not available.

Does this include conspiracy to perpetuate public mischief? Further, can the Solicitor-General say what is the common element in these charges?

I think the figures I have given would include charges of conspiracy to effect public mischief, but I think the majority of cases are the usual type of case of making false reports to the police resulting in an innocent person or persons being placed in jeopardy.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government propose to take as a result of the study of the report of the meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee for European Migration, which took place in October, in Venice

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will now join the Inter-Governmental Committee for European Migration, in view of the fact that the contribution to the administrative funds of the Committee would only be £70,000 a year, and that Australia and Canada are both members

Her Majesty's Government have studied the report of the meeting of this Committee which took place in October in Venice, and the question of further action is under consideration.

That is a very disappointing answer. Is my hon. Friend aware that this organisation has now been in existence for more than two years, that it originally had 16 member countries and now has 24, and that it has resettled about 150,000 people from over-populated countries in Europe, more than 40,000 of whom have gone to Canada? Is it not, in these circumstances, really important that we should join as soon as possible?

The Government are, of course, sympathetic towards the existence of this Committee and, as I said, the question of further action is under consideration.

Is it not a fact that Canada and Australia are co-operating very actively with the Committee and would warmly welcome the membership of the Government in the United Kingdom? Is it not also a fact that the Committee is now considering schemes for large-scale development of undeveloped countries in overseas lands which would be greatly to British interests if carried out?

The right hon. Gentleman is quite right, and those factors will, of course, be taken into consideration.

The hon. Gentleman says the Government are sympathetic, but is there any reason to suppose that the priest and Levite who passed by on the other side were not sympathetic to the traveller on the road to Jericho?

Is it not most undesirable that we should not only fall behind other countries of Western Europe but behind other countries of the Commonwealth in dealing with matters of this kind?

I do not think that this country or Government can be behind many people in dealing with the problems of refugees and migration. I do not think that any country of comparable size and resources has done more than this country has.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps have been taken by the public information services of his Department in the United States of America to put before the American people the quality and administration of the British social services; and what proportion of the curent estimate for information services in the United States of America is devoted to this purpose

It is not possible to break down the expenditure on our information services on the basis of the subject matter of the output. No opportunity is, however, lost of providing information on all aspects of our social services to the American public.

While thanking the hon. Gentleman for that reply, and understanding the difficulties in breaking down the estimate, may I ask whether he is aware that there is considerable misinformation in the United States and some prejudice against the comprehensive Health Service we enjoy, directed by certain sections of the American medical Press and medical organisations? Will the hon. Gentleman bear this in mind and see what can be done to ensure that the truth, the simple facts, are presented more clearly and more often?

I do not think there is anything wrong with the presentation of the facts. I have myself met in the United States a great deal of appreciation of the information which is made avail- able through British Information Services, and possibly this Question and answer may encourage others who have not done so to make use of those very effective services.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when he expects to conclude an agreement which will ensure that the French authorities inform British consular representatives without delay when they are holding a British subject in custody

Paragraph (1) of Article 25 of the Anglo-French Consular Convention requires the local authorities of either country to inform the appropriate British or French consular officer immediately upon the taking into custody of one of his nationals. The Convention was signed on 31st December, 1951. The instruments of ratification are to be exchanged tomorrow and it will come into operation one month later.

Will my hon. Friend allow me to express the gratification which will be felt by those who have relatives and friends abroad on legitimate business, who may find themselves in difficulties of this kind? Will he also take what steps he can to see that a similar agreement is put into operation between this country and other foreign countries, as well as France?

It will give reassurance to nationals both of France and this country with regard to their friends and relations who reside or travel abroad. Negotiations are, in fact, now being carried on with a number of other countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why the appointment of Hubert John Evans, esquire, as Her Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Managua on 31st March was not published in the "London Gazette" till 1st December; and why this information was supplied to the Press on 9th April

A senior Foreign Service appointment is normally announced in the Press as soon as convenient after the Queen's approval has been obtained. It cannot, however, be promulgated in the "London Gazette" until the Queen's Commission has been prepared and signed. The preparation of Mr. Evans' commission as Her Majesty's Ambassador in Managua was delayed because the change in the Royal Style and Title at that time made it necessary to revise the text of commissions and obtain new stocks of the forms on which commissions are prepared. Some further delay ensued because it is customary to promulgate such appointments in the "London Gazette" collectively, rather than singly as and when made.

The status of Her Majesty's Legation in Managua and that of the Nicaraguan Legation in London were raised to those of embassies on 31st March, 1953. Her Majesty's approval of Mr. Evans' appointment was made known to the Press on 9th April, after agreement with the Nicaraguan Government that the appointment of the first ambassadors should be announced simultaneously in the morning papers of 10th April.

Will my hon. Friend have a look at the "London Gazette" and see the mass of these delayed appointments? Cannot the forms be printed a little quicker than in about eight months?

If my hon. Friend will study my reply—I hope that he will be able to understand it—and see what I have said there about the Queen's Style and Title, he will realise that some of the delay has been unavoidable.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government have completed consideration of the Report of the Drogheda Committee; and whether they will publish a White Paper containing its recommendations and the Government's intentions in regard thereto

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No, Sir." In reply to the second part, I have nothing yet to add to my reply to the hon. Member on 23rd November.

What is holding up this matter? As I understand, the Report was issued by the Government last July, and the Departments will now be preparing their Estimates for next year. Is it not important that decisions on this matter should be taken?

The point with regard to the Estimates is being very carefully watched. This is a very complicated and important Report, and it must be very carefully studied.

When can we expect the Report to be published? Can the hon. Member give an undertaking that he will publish a White Paper?

I can give no undertaking. The Report is being very sympathetically considered, as the hon. Member was informed not so long ago.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will renew the offer, made to the Argentine and Chile in 1947, to refer to the International Court the dispute about the Falkland Islands dependencies

No time limit has been set to Her Majesty's Government's offer to accept the jurisdiction of the International Court in this matter, and the question of renewal does not, therefore, arise. The Argentine and Chilean Governments have been reminded on several occasions since 1947 that our offer remains open, and were urged to accept it as recently as February of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what consultations with the Allied High Commission have taken place on the proposal by the Government of the German Federal Republic to submit amendments to the Basic Law to the Bundestag authorising the Federal Republic to raise armed forces outside a possible European Defence Community organisation

Preliminary consultations are taking place between the Allied High Commission and the German Federal Chancellor regarding amendment of the Federal Basic Law so as to make possible a German contribution to the E.D.C. Any such amendment would require the approval of the Allied High Commission before it could take effect.

Has the right hon. and learned Gentleman's attention been drawn to the report in "The Times," of 5th December, which appeared to indicate that consideration was being given to the question of amending the Basic Law so as to provide for the raising of forces outside E.D.C.? In point of fact, according to the Basic Law, may such armed forces be raised at the present time?

I am not aware of the precise details of the report to which the hon. Gentleman refers. All I can say is that the consent of the High Commission is required before an amendment can become effective.

Will the Minister take steps to prevent this matter being debated in the Bundestag after Christmas, as, I understand, has been announced from Bonn?

Whether or not that is correct, before anything can become effective the consent of the Allied High Commission is required.

May we take it that Her Majesty's Government will not consent to any German rearmament outside the provisions of E.D.C.?

All I can say, again, is that before any amendment of the Basic Law—providing for any form of German rearmament—can become effective. Her Majesty's Government's consent, through the Allied High Commission, is required.

Has it yet been made clear whether or not an amendment of the Basic Law is required?

I cannot answer that question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information about the negotiations between the Argentine Government and the representatives of the Anglo-Argentine Tramways and Primitiva Gas Company which our ambassador was promised would be reported on by mid-November

The last meeting of the negotiators took place in August. The Argentine Government are still considering the companies' submissions.

In view of the fact that a definite promise was made by the Argentine Government to our negotiators that this would be at least reported on by the middle of November, will my hon. Friend make quite sure that in the coming negotiations this point will again be brought up and not allowed to lapse?

I assure my hon. Friend that the Argentine Government have been left in no doubt of Her Majesty's Government's concern, and we hope that this matter can be satisfactorily settled on its own merits.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will call the attention of the countries signatory to the Italian Peace Treaty to the failure of the Italian Government to carry out the provisions of Annexe 4 of the Treaty, relating to South Tyrol, especially in regard to the safeguarding of the ethnical character of the German-speaking population and the assurance of an appropriate proportion of employment in public offices between the two ethnical groups

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will consult the other signatories with a view to taking action to prevent the continued violation by the Italian Government of Annex IV of the Treaty of Peace of 10th February, 1947, relating to South Tyrol, especially as regards the parification of the German and Italian languages and the proportion of employment between the two ethnical groups

No, Sir. I have no reason to believe that the Italian Government are not carrying out their obligations.

Will the hon. Gentleman look into this matter again, because the number of public employees of Italian nationality is still out of all proportion to the relative size of the population, the Italian Government are still encouraging emigration into the South Tyrol and pursuing the policy of Italianisation which was supported by Mussolini, and the whole policy of autonomy for South Tyrol is being turned into a mockery?

As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, Annexe 4 of the Italian Peace Treaty is an agreement of September 5th, 1946, between the Austrian and Italian Governments and if there was any cause of complaint of non-implementation of that agreement it would be for those Governments to raise the matter in the first instance. No such complaint has been raised.

Has my hon. Friend's attention been called to the statement made in Rome by Signor Pella so late as last Thursday, when he again put forward the demand that there should be a plebiscite for Trieste? Will he not ask Signor Pella whether a plebiscite cannot also be held for the South Tyrol, where, I am sure, there would be a 95 per cent. majority of genuine Tyrolese for the union of South Tyrol and North Tyrol, and the deplorable mistake made in1919 would at last be rectified?

That is another question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any specific agreements reached at the Bermuda Conference are to be published

I would ask the hon. Gentleman to await the reply to Questions Nos. 45 and 46 for answer by the Prime Minister.

Do I understand that these Questions will be reached today? If not, can I have an answer now?

I should think they would be.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent the proposals made by President Eisenhower in his recent speech in respect of a new approach to the perils of atomic warfare were the result of prior consultation at the Bermuda Conference

I would ask the hon. Gentleman to await the forthcoming foreign affairs debate.

In view of that debate and in order to furnish hon. Members with information which would be very valuable for that debate, cannot the right hon. and learned Gentleman give a general reply to my Question, especially as the Press stated that there was a conference immediately before President Eisenhower made his speech to the United Nations?

I do not think that the course of the debate would be much helped by a further statement. I think that my answer is the appropriate one in all the circumstances.

To ask the Prime Minister, whether he will make a statement on the Bermuda Conference.

To ask the Prime Minister, whether he will issue a White Paper covering the decisions made and the conversations which took place at the recent meetings at Berumda between himself, the Prime Minister of France and the President of the United States of America.

When we dealt with Question No. 28 we were told by the Minister of State that if we waited we should get a reply on Questions Nos. 45 and 46.

What I did say was that I would ask the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Sorensen) to await the reply which the Prime Minister was to give to Nos. 45 and 46, but I was not then aware that they would not be answered until tomorrow. I apologise to the hon. Gentleman for misleading him.

Is it not possible now to have a straightforward answer to Question No. 28? Surely there is no difficulty.

I think the hon. Member for Leyton is entitled to it, and he will receive it tomorrow.

Is there really any justification for the Minister not giving an answer on this matter now which, unless he had relied upon the fact that the Prime Minister was going to answer it later today, he would not have been able to avoid? What is the difficulty about telling us whether any specific agreements reached at Bermuda are to be published?

I think it is much better that the Prime Minister should deal with it.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affiairs the intentions of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the question referring the Icelandic fisheries dispute to The Hague Court

This is one of several suggestions made by Her Majesty's Government for solving the dispute which it has not been possible to proceed with, for reasons made clear by my right hon. and learned Friend in his reply to the hon. Lady the Member for Tynemouth (Miss Ward) on 20th May.

Does the hon. Gentleman realise that that answer was quite unsatisfactory? Seeing that reference was made to The Hague Court over the Norwegian dispute and there is some similarity between that dispute and the Icelandic dispute, would it not be better for this matter to be considered again?

Her Majesty's Government expressed readiness to refer this matter to The Hague Court, but the Icelandic Government are not prepared to agree except on conditions unacceptable to Her Majesty's Government.

Could not this go to the Security Council, so that perhaps they could ask for an advisory opinion?

I do not think we need go so far as that at this juncture.