asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that Mallam Said bin Hayatu has been detained without trial in Nigeria for 33 years; and whether he will order a new investigation into the circumstances.

No, Sir. Mallam Said has not been detained in physical custody since 1924 and I do not think any investigation is called for.

Is not the Colonial Secretary aware that under his own Order, made in 1955, Mallam Said bin Hayatu is in the custody of the Resident Commissioner of Kano, and that under a statutory Lettre de Cachet issued in 1924 he is liable to be imprisoned without trial if he moves? Is not this a scandalous state of affairs, reminiscent of "The Man in the Iron Mask?" Does not the Minister consider that the more modern practice of dealing with someone who makes a speech against colonial authority by sending him to the House of Lords is more civilised?

The hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Hale) is giving a wrong impression, because under the latest order to which he refers, Mallam Said is given freedom to move anywhere except in the three Provinces of Adamawa, Bauchi and Bornu.

On a point of order. Is there any safeguard, Mr. Speaker, against an hon. Member putting down a Question like this, which is apparently quite inaccurate and does a great deal of harm?

Hon. Members are themselves responsible for the allegations which they make in Questions.

Is there any limit to which an hon. Member can go in putting down a Question like this?

Hon. Members are themselves the judges of what it is right for them to do.

On a point of personal explanation, as an allegation has been made against my accuracy. I hold in my hand a Colonial Office Order made by the Acting-Deputy-Chief Secretary of the Council of Ministers, dated 14th April, 1955, which says:

"Mallam Said bin Hayatu shall, from the date hereof … continue under the lawful custody of the Resident, Kano Province, who shall impose such restriction on the liberty of the said person as he may think necessary."

There seems to be a dispute about the facts here, but that is quite a common occurrence in this House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made in securing the agreement of colonial Governments to discuss detailed arrangements for the transfer of members of the Oversea Service to the Special List as envisaged in the White Paper, Command Paper No. 9768.

A draft agreement to apply the Special List arrangements to the Nigerian Public Services is now being considered by the Federal and Regional Governments of Nigeria. The arrangements have been welcomed in principle by the Northern and Western Regional Governments while the Federal and Eastern Regional Governments hope to let me have their preliminary views during July.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many of us were extremely disappointed that the White Paper and the arrangements to which he has just made reference refer only to Nigeria? Is he aware that the situation is quite serious in other Colonies? Can my right hon. Friend give an assurance that narrow financial considerations are not holding up a settlement of the wider issue of the reorganisation of this vital service?

I can certainly give that assurance. As I said on 17th May, it is possible to extend the scheme to other territories. As and when Her Majesty's Government are satisfied that circumstances make this extension desirable, then we shall be in a position to do it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that Nigerians wishing to train as journalists in the United Kingdom are experiencing difficulty owing to the limited number of institutions which give full-time instruction in journalism, and to trade union objections to the attachment of persons to newspapers in this country; and what steps he is taking to assist them.

Eight places are reserved annually for colonial candidates on the course in journalism at the Regent Street Polytechnic. Three Nigerians are attending the present course.

I am not aware of trade union objections to the attachment of Nigerian journalists to newspapers in the United Kingdom. A number of such attachments has been arranged in recent years, and I would welcome the further co-operation of the newspaper industry in this matter.

While thanking my right hon. Friend for the many points which he has put to me in a long letter on this subject, may I ask him if he would agree that it is a Commonwealth interest to have an efficient and balanced Press in Nigeria? Would he consider discussing this problem further, not only with the Newspaper Society, but with the Commonwealth Press Union?

Certainly; I am agreeing with my hon. Friend as to the need in this matter. I have said in my Answer to him that we will welcome the co-operation of the newspaper industry. Our next step is to approach the Newspaper Society.

May I ask the Minister whether, if his hon. Friend is able to discover a means of creating a balanced Press out there, he will apply the same principles to Great Britain?

I have listened to what the right hon. Gentleman has said.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the proposals for elections in the Northern Region of Nigeria; and in particular if all women are to be excluded from the franchise.

The Regional Premier has announced that he will advise the Governor to hold fresh elections to the Northern House of Assembly late in 1956 or early in 1957. New electoral regulations are under consideration, but are unlikely to extend the franchise to women.

Does not the Secretary of State agree that it is highly regrettable that the franchise is not to be extended to women when they have it elsewhere? One appreciates the historic and other difficulties, but apparently no women, not even those who have been educated, will have the franchise.

I am not prepared to try to force on the largely Muslim population something alien to its traditions.

Is it not a fact that the largely Muslim population in Western Nigeria, led by Mr. Awolowo of the Action Party, has given a franchise to women?

That just shows how wise it is to leave these things to local decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what grounds Mr. Awolowo, Prime Minister of the Western Region of Nigeria, has been refused permission to address a meeting of his supporters planned at Ilorin in the Northern Region on 30th June.

The hon. Member is misinformed. Chief Awolowo, who is Premier of the Western Region, has not been refused a permit to hold a meeting at Ilorin. The Ilorin Native Authority decided that a procession and meeting inside the town would constitute a serious threat to public order, but they will agree to a meeting on the outskirts of the town and have already offered to issue a permit accordingly.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his Answer shows that I am not in the least misinformed in my Question? Is it not the case that Mr. Awolowo, Prime Minister of the Western Region, has been refused permission to speak in the town and that he is permitted to speak only outside the walls of the town?

This relates to a proposed meeting in a different territory, in the Northern Region and not in the Western Region. Under the Native Authority Law, 1954, the Northern Native Authority has certain powers. If it decides to exercise them in this way and to say that a meeting in the town, with its limited police facilities, is not a wise step, but that there can be a meeting outside the town, that seems to me to be essentially a matter for local decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what consideration is being given to the position of colonial servants in territories such as Mauritius in which pay and conditions of service compare unfavourably with those of some other territories of comparable size.

Salaries revisions are being undertaken in a number of smaller territories. In Mauritius, basic data are being collected to enable salaries and conditions of service to be examined.

Could not the right hon. Gentleman take steps to issue model rules or advice to some of the smaller territories to secure some uniformity of conditions, such as those applying to leave, housing, medical services, and passages for wives and children? There is a very wide discrepancy.

That is a very useful suggestion, and I am sure that my right hon. Friend would be glad to consider what the hon. Lady has said.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now give the date when he proposes to introduce legislation to validate certain work undertaken or financed by the Colonial Development Corporation.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Lady's Question on 14th June.

As in that reply the right hon. Gentleman hoped to complete the legislation this Session, can he not now say when he proposes to introduce legislation, for the lack of which extremely important housing and road projects and other public works have been held up since last November in Malaya and in East, Central, and West Africa? This is far too serious a matter for there to be delay for lack of what should be a short and, I imagine, uncontroversial Bill.

The Bill is not quite so short as the hon. Lady imagines. Lord Reith knows all the difficulties, and knows also of my own keen desire to do what I said I hoped to be able to do in the reply which I gave to the hon. Lady.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many British subjects or British-protected persons from the Coloniel Empire are undergoing courses of study in Egypt; and to which territories they belong.

I am making inquiries and will let the hon. Member have the information as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is now in a position to state the number of persons from each of the Colonial Territories who are undergoing educational or other courses of training in the Union of Soviet Republics or other countries of the Soviet bloc or China; and how many have undergone such courses since the end of the war.

I am not yet able to supply the information, as the inquiries I am making from colonial Governments are not completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why he has decided to set up a special department to take charge of those Colonies which are strategic bases; and if he will make a statement on the administrative changes which he intends to make.

A Press report in the sense of the first part of this Question was due to a misunderstanding. For some time up to September last one Assistant Under-Secretary of State in the Colonial Office was responsible for, among other places, the three Mediterranean Colonies, the Federation of Malaya, Hong Kong and Singapore. In September, after the appointment of the Malta Round Table Conference, official responsibility for it and for the affairs of Malta was moved temporarily to another Assistant Under-Secretary. Through certain retirements and promotions the opportunity has now occurred to revert to the previous arrangement, and as from 1st July responsibility for all the territories mentioned will again be entrusted to one Assistant Under-Secretary, whose schedule will also include the Borneo Territories but not those in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Will the Secretary of State say whether it is the fact that those Colonies which are strategic bases are now passing into the virtual control of the Foreign Office, and that now we shall have two types of colonial policy, one dictated by the Colonial Office and one influenced by the Foreign Office?

Any such view would be completely false.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies which are the corporations controlled by the Federal Government to which reference is made in the Government Notice No. 27 of 1956 regarding the Northern Rhodesia (Native Reserves) (Amendment) Order in Council, 1955.

The Federal Power Board is the only corporation so far concerned.

Is the Minister aware that hon. Members on this side of the House are most uneasy about an order of this kind? Three years ago Lord Chandos gave us every assurance that he would safeguard the land of the Africans. Will the Minister give a similar pledge that he will not enable public corporations, upon a large scale, to enter upon African native land?

The hon. Member is aware that I answered this question very fully on 2nd May, in reply to the hon. Member for Govan (Mr. Rankin). I will give full particulars of that Answer. Meanwhile, I can give the hon. Gentleman the same assurance as I gave the hon. Member for Govan. There is no intention to alter the safeguards about the African land which were established at the time of the formation of the Federation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the expenditure on the Northern Rhodesian Police Force in 1947, 1952, and last year.

Recurrent expenditure for 1947 was £127,663; for 1952, £589,336; for 1954–55, £943,635; Capital expenditure for those years was £3,702, £185,700 and £126,000 respectively.

Does not that phenomenal increase in expenditure upon the police force reveal a most disturbing state of affairs? Does it not mean that the expenditure upon the police in Northern Rhodesia has increased almost seven-fold in seven years? Should not some inquiry be made as to why that is necessary, and would not it be far better to spend a little more money upon meeting the needs of the people instead of spending so much money organising the police force?

The hon. Member does not take into account the rise in population which has taken place in that time. The European population was 27,100 in 1947 and has risen to 64,800 today. The number of Africans employed has risen from 160,000 in 1949 to 257,000 today.

Seven times the police for twice the population.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will arrange for the provision of facilities for trade union representatives to enter Northern Rhodesian territory from Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

Trade union representatives may enter Northern Rhodesia from Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland in the normal way. No special facilities are necessary.

Would the Minister of State make some approaches so as to organise this matter upon a reciprocal basis between the territories in the Federation? Has his attention been drawn to a recent case of a refusal to allow a trade union leader to move into a part of the Federal territories? Will not the Minister make some representation to the authorities there so as to allow the elementary freedom for trade union leaders to move about the territories?

The Question deals with entry into Northern Rhodesia. I can assure the hon. Member that no trade unionists have been prevented from entering the territory under this legislation. I will certainly draw the attention of the Federal Government to what the hon. Member said in regard to the other points.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a further statement regarding the progress of compensation payments to the owners of orange trees that have been felled by security forces in Cyprus in the Famagusta district.

Offers of compensation are now being made to the property owners concerned.

Is there any suggestion that property owners themselves are in any way implicated in the bomb-throwing incidents which led to the felling of these trees? Secondly, will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that if they are not implicated the compensation will take note of the loss of revenue resulting from the felling?

Compensation for the felling of these trees is being paid under Regulation 46, and it is done very fairly. If the man concerned does not wish to accept the sum offered by the Government in this case, he can go to an arbitration board appointed by the Governor and consisting of three persons; one a judicial officer, one a Government officer and one an unofficial person.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of occasions on which collective punishments have been imposed in Cyprus, the amounts involved and for what purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the total amount of fines imposed upon towns and villages in Cyprus since the emergency began.

Collective punishments with fines totalling £105,850 have been imposed on 17 occasions when the inhabitants of a locality have committed or connived at terrorist acts or failed to render all assistance in their power to discover offenders.

Has the right hon. Gentleman seen the comments in the reputable British Press—[HON. MEMBERS: "Name."]—the Economist—which say that these fines are having the reverse of the desired effect? What evidence can he give the House that the situation is improving as a result of the imposition of these fines?

We can all express our opinions in the newspapers as we like, but that opinion is not shared by the Governor of Cyprus.

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the Government have no intention of slackening in their policy to restore order in Cyprus before engaging in any parley with the enemy?

That seems to be a wider question.

What method is adopted for collecting these fines? Does everybody pay, or only selected people? What amount is levied upon each person?

Fines are collected through local government channels—through the Commissioner's organisation—and are assessed upon each individual according to his ability to pay.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress is being made with the new teachers' training college in Cyprus; when this building will be completed; and whether he will consider extending this college to include other faculties so that it might form the nucleus of a university college.

Work has begun on the college buildings; they are expected to be ready for occupation by the end of 1957. It is hoped that the residential accommodation, which will take about twenty months to complete, will be started later this year. My right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to consider extending the functions of the college.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that most satisfactory reply. Would not he agree to go on considering the question of a university, bearing in mind not only the question of Cyprus, but the whole of the Middle East? Would he agree that there are not enough university places in this country or in the American university at Beirut to fulfil all the requirements of the Middle East; and also bear in mind that such a university would greatly enhance British prestige as well as fulfil a need in the Middle East?

As I told my hon. and gallant Friend in February, we have the possibility of setting up a university at Cyprus well in mind, Meanwhile, as I think he will agree, we should get on with this first building and then we can think about it.

In order that there may be some students ready to enter the college in 1957, will the Government try to get the secondary schools re-opened? Otherwise, there will be no students with sufficient educational attainments to enter the college?

All these matters are in the mind of my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will recommend a change in the system now prevailing in Cyprus where a large number of secondary school teachers receive their pensions, or part of the pensions, from foreign Powers.

I assume that my hon. and gallant Friend is referring to pensions from the Greek Government. I do not like this system and I have the position under consideration.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that Answer. Is it correct to say that the Turkish Government have also paid pensions to teachers in their schools, and would not he agree that these things are wrong in a British Colony?

My information is that no pensions are paid by the Turkish Government to Cypriots, but some pensions are paid to Turkish nationals who are members of the Turkish Government education service and seconded to Cyprus schools. There is a difference in the two cases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many evictions have taken place in Cyprus recently as part of the emergency measures; and what steps he has taken for rehousing the homeless.

On 16th March ten householders and eighteen shopkeepers in Nicosia were evicted; they were allowed to return on 9th June. On 29th May, seventeen householders and thirty-five shopkeepers in Nicosia were evicted for a period of three months. Other accommodation was available, and no one was rendered homeless.

Can the Minister explain why these evictions are necessary if the people are to return almost immediately? Is any opportunity given to old people, invalids and women with children to get alternative accommodation immediately, or are they left on the streets?

As I said in my reply, nobody was rendered homeless. So far as the decision to evict these people is concerned, it was taken after a series of serious incidents—a series of murders, in the case of the first eviction, culminating in the murder of a United Kingdom police sergeant; and in the second case it followed a planned ambush of British troops, in which a bomb was thrown from the upper storey of a building, causing the death of a British soldier.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether there has been any reduction in the number of these regrettable incidents as a result of these evictions?

No, and I do not know whether the hon. Lady can say whether there would not have been more incidents if these measures had not been taken.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) what decisions have been reached with Sir John Harding about the future of Cyprus;

(2) what proposals he is now considering for the re-opening of negotiations on the future of Cyprus;

(3) if he will consider calling a round table conference in London on the future of Cyprus to which leaders of the Greek and Turkish communities might be invited to meet with representative Members of both Houses of Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has now completed his discussions on the situation in Cyprus; what terms he is prepared to accept; what is the difference between his demands and the Cypriots' offer; what representatives of the Cypriots he is prepared to meet; and if he will take the initiative by stating that he is prepared to meet them at any time so that the bloodshed can be brought to an end.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on his discussions with the Governor of Cyprus.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what fresh instructions have been given to Lord Radcliffe over the drafting of a constitution for Cyprus.

My colleagues and I had a full exchange of views with Sir John Harding, who returned to Cyprus on Friday. This covered both matters of administrative detail and general policy. The important policy questions will be the subject of a Government statement at the appropriate time. As the Governor said on his return, there are no points of disagreement between us.

Can the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that the "appropriate time" to which he refers will be very soon? Is he aware that there has been a large number of conjectural articles in the Press, and that there is a great deal of anxiety both in this country and Cyprus which it would help to resolve were an official statement made soon?

I have nothing to add to my reply except to repeat that the appropriate time will be the appropriate time.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that he is not the only judge of what is the appropriate time—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]—and that we have exercised great patience in this matter? It is now some considerable time since we had a debate and while I know that there are delicate matters of negotiation involved, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that we are anxious to bring these negotiations to a head as quickly as possible in order to save any more loss of life and denigration of the British reputation?

I hope that the right hon. Gentleman is also anxious to bring the negotiations to a successful as well as an early conclusion.

Meanwhile, can my right hon. Friend alleviate widespread anxiety by giving us an interim assurance that there is no question of truckling to violence? Can he give a further assurance that British policy will not be dependent on the virility of foreign Powers?

I can give my hon. Friend a complete assurance on both those points.

Is the Minister aware that, so far as Cyprus is concerned, at some time, somewhere, somebody, must meet somebody else and negotiate a settlement? Will the Minister bring these two together in order to stop this slaughter going on any longer?

Referring to the right hon. Gentleman's observation about the appropriate time for making a statement, may I ask whether that appropriate time will be before the Recess? If it is not, difficulty may ensue, and, after all, hon. Members are entitled to know what is happening?

I do not think I am taking too great a risk if I assure the right hon. Gentleman that I believe that to be true.

Mrs. Castle.

May I have an answer to my question?

Order. I have called the next Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why he will not agree to asking the United Nations to hold a referendum in Cyprus to ascertain the views of the islanders on the future of this island.

Because I do not believe that the hon. Member's suggestion is one which, as he implied in a Question on 6th June, would be a means of bringing peace and tranquillity to Cyprus.

May I ask the Minister whether, if he does not think the idea contained in the Question is a good one, he can in fact suggest a better method?

I have nothing to add to my earlier statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that our case for adhering to our treaty rights has not been sufficiently emphasised either in Cyprus, the Middle East or the United States of America; and if he will accordingly take action to remedy this omission.

In Cyprus, constant emphasis has been given to our care for adhering to our treaty rights in broadcasts from the Cyprus Broadcasting Service in English, Greek and Turkish, and in printed publicity material distributed in Cyprus in all three languages. The official overseas information services of Her Majesty's Government include a great deal of news and information about Cyprus. The content of the services directed to the United States and Middle Eastern countries is not the responsibility of my Department, but my right hon. Friend is satisfied that the British case is well presented through those services.

In view of the fact that our right to be in Cyprus is unassailable, is my right hon. Friend aware, in spite of the very full answer to my Question, that not all the communities in Cyprus are satisfied with the presentation of our case, and that neither am I? Will he therefore have another look at the matter?

I assure the hon. Lady that it is under constant review.

Since the right hon. Gentleman admits that the case has been properly presented, does not the fact that the case is not accepted anywhere else in the world—[HON. MEMBERS: "Nonsense."]—suggest that it is a singularly bad case?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the present restrictions imposed on the growing of coffee by European, Asian and African planters, respectively, in Kenya; and when these restrictions were imposed.

My right hon. Friend has asked the Governor for the very fullest information on this and will circulate a reply in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

I am much obliged for that reply. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that Mr. Mathu gave notice in the Kenya Legislative Assembly in May that he would move to repeal the limitations imposed upon the growing of coffee by Africans? I understand that such coffee-growing is limited to 100 trees and certain areas. We have tried to obtain this information for a very long time, and on occasion the House has been misled.

I will certainly endeavour to give the House the information as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the minimum wage payable to an adult worker employed on a farm in Kenya; the maximum number of permitted hours a week; the estimated normal wage actually being paid for a normal week; and whether Government officers have instructions to refrain from witnessing employment agreements when they appear unfair to the worker.

There is no statutory minimum wage in rural areas. Average total monthly emoluments on farms and ranches are estimated to be 60s.—of which 31s. represents the cash wage—and 80s.—of which 37s. represents the cash wage—respectively. An employee may also make additional income through the use without charge of his employer's land for cultivation and stock grazing. Hours of work are not controlled, but are estimated to average 39 hours in a six day week. Magistrates and attesting officers may refuse to attest a resident labourer's contract which does not provide for fair remuneration.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether any instructions of any kind are given as to what is fair remuneration? Upon the figures which he has just given, 7s. 9d. a week is apparently the cash payment for a man. Time after time we have produced in this House employment agreements which provide that other members of the family must also work, which means that the average figure is very much smaller. What instructions are given to these attesting officers, and what steps are taken to provide decent wages?

Magistrates and attesting officers can refuse to attest any wage which does not provide fair remuneration in money, having regard to local wage rates. In regard to the general question of rural wages, a Rural Wages Committee was appointned by the Government last March, following the Carpenter Report upon African wages, and as soon as I receive information about its recommendations, I will let the House know.

Is not it a fact that even here, in Great Britain, when a class of workers find themselves unable to defend their standards of living against economic or other circumstances, the law steps in to protect them? If this is the case in Great Britain, is it not much more necessary in Kenya, where all kinds of other disabilities exist? Is not this evidence of the background to all the appalling things which have been happening in Kenya?

I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will not dismiss so easily the whole basis of the Mau Mau conspiracy. I have no reason to think that these wages are very disproportionate, but I am awaiting, as are the Government of Kenya, the recommendations of the Rural Wages Committee. As soon as I get them we can have a profitable talk about the question.

I have not said that this is the background to the whole of Mau Mau, but I am asking the right hon. Gentleman whether it is not evidence of the fact that there is appalling neglect of ordinary human understanding here, that these conditions should persist year after year when in Great Britain, a highly-organised country, this House passed laws to protect agricultural workers, for example, long years ago.

It is a great mistake to try to relate figures of one country with those of another. I would ask the right hon. Gentleman to await the publication of the Committee's Report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action was taken by the Governor on the representation made to him by Mr. S. A. Morrison, secretary of the Christian Council of Kenya, regarding conditions in detention camps in the Colony.

Since early in 1955 there have been meetings, as and when requested by the Christian Council of Kenya, between the Governor and representatives of the Council, including Mr. Morrison, to discuss any representations they wished to make on matters connected with the emergency. The Council has on occasion raised specific issues connected with detention camps but has made no representations on this subject since October, 1955. I am informed that the Council representatives are satisfied that on all the matters they have raised there has been a full investigation by the Kenya Government and that action has been taken where shown to be necessary.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is not the fact that in October, 1955, Mr. Morrison made charges very similar to those which have now been made by Miss Fletcher? In view of the fact that the right hon. Gentleman has appealed to Mr. Morrison as some evidence in the case of Miss Fletcher, will he not ask for this report to be in his hands so that he can investigate those charges, made more than eighteen months ago?

Naturally I saw the report at the time and spoke to Mr. Morrison about it. The difference between Mr. Morrison and Miss Fletcher is that when he knows that remedial action is being taken, Mr. Morrison says so publicly, but Miss Fletcher repeats charges which might have had some substance of truth in them some time ago but in many cases are wholly untrue today. The Answer that I have given was approved by Mr. Morrison and, within the last thirty-six hours, by Bishop Beecher as well.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that if he read the Press of the country, especially, very often, the Press which supports the party opposite, he would discover that these newspapers now state that he has been grossly misinformed about the facts in Kenya?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action was taken on representations made by Miss Eileen Fletcher whilst rehabilitation officer in Kenya to superior officers in reports on Narok camp, dated 5th January, 1955, Langata camp, dated 23rd December, 1954, Gilgil camp, dated 12th February, 1954, and in her progress report, dated January, 1955, and in other reports to the commandant which complained among other things of the presence of unaccompanied children of four years and seven years of age in detention camps, absence of blankets, risk of Mau Mau contamination through inadequate segregation, the employment of juvenile girls in breaking stones, and instances of brutality.

I am examining Miss Fletcher's published statements in the light of comments she has made on them in discussions at the Colonial Office. I am also examining in this connection copies of Miss Fletcher's reports and the comments of the Government of Kenya. As I have already stated, I will make appropriate arrangements to let hon. Members have access to all this information when it has been completely assembled.

In view of the large number of reports in which Miss Fletcher made her complaint to the appropriate authority in Kenya, will the Colonial Secretary now withdraw his statement in the House on 6th June that there is no record whatsoever of her ever having brought to the notice of the Ministry which employed her the alleged conditions of which she now complains?

I think that the hon. Member had better wait and see when the material is presented. I think that he will be rather surprised.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many acres of the land included in the Mwea Development Scheme in Kenya are now under crop.

There are now 350 acres of rice under crop. A futher 420 acres are to be planted during the year with rice, maize and groundnuts.

Is the Minister of State aware that when I was studying the scheme in Kenya last October, I was assured by people on the spot that it was expected to have 1,000 acres in crop by March, before the long rains? As this figure has not been reached, could the right hon. Gentleman explain why there is this very unfortunate delay in pressing ahead with schemes for the resettlement of landless Kikuyu tribesmen?

As I have just heard one of my hon. Friends behind me mention, it is sometimes not wise to hurry too quickly in these matters of agricultural experiments. This is part of a pilot scheme, and it is hoped that the first block of 5,000 acres will be cleared fairly soon, and that the second block of 6,000 acres will be ready about the end of this year. Meanwhile, we are quite pleased with the progress that has been made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in what circumstances it has been agreed to bring labour from the Belgian Congo or Ruanda Urundi into Kenya.

The Kenya Government are considering a proposal to introduce a limited number of workers from the Belgian Congo to alleviate the shortage of labour in the sisal, tea and sugar industries, but have not yet reached a final decision.

Will not the right hon. Gentleman agree that it is an astonishing thing, in view of the over-population of many rural areas in Kenya, that labour should be brought in from outside? In particular, is it not most ill-advised to suggest it at the very moment when we are awaiting a report on agricultural wages, and will this not upset the workers already in Kenya and make them think that their conditions are being depressed?

I do not think so. I should like to emphasise to the hon. Lady that the Government will have to satisfy themselves that the employment opportunities suitable for released detainees are not prejudiced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps have been taken in the prison compounds of Kenya to separate from women offenders, children and young persons serving sentences of imprisonment for offences; whether solitary confinement of children and young persons remains a punishment for misbehaviour in prison; to what extent children and young persons are given education and training in useful occupations in the place of hard labour; and to what extent men are employed as warders in the women's prisons.

Segregation from adult prisoners of young persons in prisons is mandatory under the Juveniles Ordinance, and in the cases of children detained in prisons during the Governor's pleasure segregation from adult prisoners is one of the conditions of such detention; juveniles, and by this I mean young persons under 18, are subject to prison discipline and can be sentenced to solitary confinement in the case of aggravated or repeated prison offences; of the twenty-one females under 18 at Kamiti four have undergone sentences of solitary confinement.

All female juveniles in prison receive education and vocational training; male juveniles are employed on gardening and building work and about a third receive some education. A prison industry section is to be established at Langata where male juvenile prisoners will be taught useful trades and all will be given elementary education; male warders are employed as guards in the outer perimeter at Kamiti, but are not employed in the women's compounds.

Will the Secretary of State now recommend to the Kenya Government some enlightened regulations for prison administration, that there should be some segregation of young persons from the senior prisoners, that the punishment of solitary confinement should now be abolished, that definite steps should be taken for the instruction of young persons and that education and training should be part of the prison course?

I have sympathy with the thoughts behind the right hon. Gentleman's question. I think that he will find that action has been taken on most of the subjects he covered. I must stress the fact that some of these juveniles are very tough customers indeed, and in one particular instance mentioned in the House solitary confinement brought to an end a drastic series of mutinous incidents.

How long are the sentences of solitary confinement?

They are limited. The maximum sentence which can he awarded is 16 days, of which no more than seven days is served continuously and an interval of seven days must elapse before a further period of the sentence is served. If penal diet is also awarded, the periods and intervals are four days.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will take steps to ensure that the ages of African Kikuyu girls are ascertained by medical examination before being finally sentenced in court in Kenya; and when it is his intention to provide an approved school for female convicts under 16 years of age in this Colony.

As I mentioned in reply to the hon. Member's Question on 20th June, research into the problem of determining the age of an African juvenile has so far disclosed no method of making an exact determination by medical examination. It would therefore be unwise to place exclusive reliance on medical evidence. Where the age of the prisoner is relevant to the sentence the courts have a duty to determine, on all the evidence available, including medical evidence if the court considers it advisable, whether an accused person is a child—under 14—or a young person—14–17 inclusive—and they always give the benefit of any doubt to the accused.

Female prisoners under the apparent age of 16 years are held in a special compound at Kamiti prison which has all the facilities of an approved school and is supervised by a female rehabilitation officer. The Kenya Government propose to transfer this compound from the control of the prison authorities to that of the Principal Probation Officer as an approved school.

Without commenting on the allegations or arguments made by Miss Fletcher, may I ask whether it is not a fact that if Kenya had an approved school for girls—either for girls under 14, or for girls over 14—as there is for boys, 90 per cent. of the time and temper of the House in the last few weeks would not have been expended?

It would be a good thing if there were such a school, but I am not so hopeful as to believe that that by itself would stop misrepresentation.

In view of the fact that the Mau Mau situation is now well in hand and that there are no facilities to look after these 16-year-old girls properly, may I ask whether the safety of the Colony really requires us any longer to keep them detained or in prison? Why cannot they have an amnesty and be let out?

The Mau Mau situation is largely in hand because of the courage and sense of duty of the people of Kenya, and I think that the Kenya Government can be trusted in this as in other regards.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the prisoners held in Saiyusi Island, Lake Victoria, are convicted criminals or detainees; and how the rate of 8s. per month paid to them for a 42-hour week, compares with that paid for work of a similar nature in the district in which the camp is situated, due allowance being made for the value of housing, rations, and clothing supplied by the detention camp authorities.

They are detainees. The cash wage of 8s. a month is related to the average gross monthly emoluments for agricultural labour which are 55s. The value of rations, clothing and necessaries and time spent on the maintenance of the camp, for which no payment is due, is assessed as 30s., 6s., and 11s. a month respectively.

Is the Secretary of State aware that there are 11,000 homeless families in the Kikuyu reserves who are dependent on the earnings of these people detained on Saiyusi Island? Does he consider that the amount these prisoners can remit is sufficient to enable those people to live even on a low standard? Do the Government make any arrangements for their well-being?

I think that the hon. Member should know that the families concerned are not dependent wholly on any remittances from the men concerned, but considerable responsibility obviously falls on the tribes to whom these people belong.

If the families are not dependent on husbands and fathers, on whom are they dependent if the right hon. Gentleman is doing nothing in this matter?

The hon. Member is inclined to assume that practices which prevail in the United Kingdom also obtain in tribal areas in Kenya.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the increase of game poaching in Kenya and Tanganyika, he will increase the penalties particularly against receivers and the illegal export of ivory.

The measures needed to check the activities of poachers and receivers, including the deterrent effect of existing penalties, are at present being specially studied by the Governments of Kenya and Tanganyika.

Would not my right hon. Friend agree that although the Government of Kenya and the Wild Life Society are doing their best to preserve wild life in Kenya, there is great difficulty in checking smuggling; and it may well be that the best method of checking it would be to make the game not worth the candle, and that that applies particularly to ivory smuggling to the coast?

I agree, and it is for this reason that a committee has been set up in each of these two territories.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any statement to make on the decision of the British Guiana Legislative Council not to participate in the proposed re-formation of the West India Regiment.

The Finance Committee of the British Guiana Legislature agreed in principle last October to the participation of British Guiana in the re-formation of the West India Regiment. In February of this year, a resolution to this effect was moved in the Legislature itself, and on a division the voting was equal and the motion was lost. The Governor is now considering the position further.

Would not my right hon. Friend agree that British Guiana is missing a great opportunity if it does not take part in the re-formation of this very old-established regiment, which has a very honourable tradition?

I very much hope that on further examination they will come to the same conclusion, but I think it is a matter for local settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made with arrangements for the recruitment of farm labour from British Guiana for the United States of America.

Her Majesty's Government are still in touch with the United States authorities about this. I am not in a position to make a statement at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what representations he has received from political parties in British Guiana regarding the recently announced proposals for a new Legislative and Executive Council.

I have received representations from both factions of the Peoples Progressive Party expressing dissatisfaction and proposing discussions.

Will the Secretary of State accept the fact that all the political parties with mass backing in British Guiana have completely rejected his proposals? Will he reconsider them to permit real democracy to operate?

As I have said before, the Governor is ready to discuss these proposals with political leaders, but I do not propose to receive a deputation upon them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of the financial contribution to be made to the Kariba Hydro-Electric Scheme is to be borne by the Colonial Development Corporation.

The Colonial Development Corporation have been authorised to lend £15 million, which will represent about 19 per cent. of the cost of the first stage of the project.

May I ask my right hon. Friend if it is a fact that the Italians have got the contract for carrying out this scheme? If so, is it not right that this country should see that its money should be spent in developing its own industries, instead of encouraging Italian industries?

That is really not relevant to this particular question. All I can assure my hon. Friends is that Her Majesty's Government have been in consultation with the Federal authorities and are satisfied that the arrangements made for United Kingdom contractors are fair ones in competing for this new business.

May I ask how the Minister reconciles this decision to invest £15 million in the Kariba Hydro-Electric Scheme, which we welcome, with the Answer given by the Secretary of State last week, when I suggested that some sum of this kind should be invested to prevent that deal which we discussed last week? Last week, we were told that it was quite impossible to invest £15 million of C.D.C. money in Trinidad oil, because of the need of the money elsewhere. Now, we find that £15 million is being invested in one scheme. Would not that have been appropriate last week?

I do not think that what happened last week is appropriate to the Question on the Order Paper.

May I ask whether it is not a fact that, despite the fact that the greater part of the money for the Kariba scheme is being provided from this country, the main contract for £20 million has already been let to the Italians?

I am afraid that the question of the actual details as to who has got the contracts and so on is not one that comes within my Department. It is a Federal Government matter.

Is my right hon. Friend correct in saying that the question of who gets the contracts is not relevant to the Question? Is it not an astonishing thing that, at a time of acute capital shortage in this country, we should be providing a vast sum of money in order that developments may be undertaken by a foreign Power?

I am sorry. I hope that my hon. Friend does not misunderstand me. I said that the question was not relevant to the Question on the Order Paper, which asked what proportion of the financial contribution to the Kariba Hydro-Electric Scheme is to be borne by the Colonial Development Corporation.

May I ask the Minister if he will answer my question? I did not ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he was responsible or not, but whether he was aware that the main contract for £20 million has been let to the Italians? Does he know that, or is his Department grossly ignorant?

No, Sir. I am not in a position to answer any questions about the letting of contracts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to ascertain the views of the people of Malaya and Singapore on the question of merging the two territories which are now separated politically but are geographically, culturally and economically, one unit.

This is not a matter in which Her Majesty's Government would wish to take any initiative except at the request of the elected Governments of both territories.

Will the Minister give an undertaking that he will favourably consider any request which comes from both the Federation and Singapore as far as the merger is concerned?

I have nothing to add to the statement which I have made on this matter. The initiative must rest with the elected Governments themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Division 1 posts in the Government services in Singapore and Malaya are held by expatriates and by Malayans, respectively; how many Malayans are expected to be recruited by the end of 1957; and what steps are being taken to prepare Malayans to fill these positions by a system of Malayanisation.

In Singapore, expatriates hold 406 Division 1 posts and Malayans 370; in the Federation of Malaya, the respective figures are 1,808 and 809. I cannot predict how many Malayans may be recruited by the end of 1957. Initial vacancies are always filled by locally born candidates whenever suitable and qualified, and the problems of systematic Malayanisation are now being closely studied by the Governments of the two territories.

In view of the rapid development towards self-government in the Federation and in Singapore, is the Minister satisfied that Malayanisation is going on fast enough to meet the circumstances?

Certainly, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the Attorney-General of Sarawak intimated in a broadcast talk that Sarawak will not necessarily be granted a constitution corresponding to the terms of the Resolution of the Council Negri of 7th September, 1955; whether the wishes of the members of the Council Negri are to be considered; and when the text of the new constitution will be published in order to provide the people of Sarawak with adequate opportunity for its consideration before enactment.

The Attorney-General, very properly, wished to make it clear that Her Majesty could not be committed in advance to detailed approval of the prayer contained in the Council Negri's resolution. The wishes of the Council Negri as expressed in that resolution are, of course, being followed to the greatest possible extent in drafting the new constitution. In accordance with normal practice the text of the constitutional instruments will not be published before enactment.

Will not the Secretary of State agree that it is highly desirable that the expressions of opinion and proposals by the indigenous assembly should be followed very closely and taken into closest consideration? Does he not feel that it is necessary to publish the full text of the constitution?

I quite agree that it is most important that the views of the local people—and here, above all, the Council Negri—should be very much taken into account. The resolution of the Council asks for a constitution on certain lines, which it set out. It is then for the legal adviser of the Sarawak Government and myself as Secretary of State to translate those proposals into legal terms. Constitutionally this is the way it has always been done, and it is much the best way in all the circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, before the enactment of a new constitution for Sarawak, the Council Negri will be given an opportunity formally to propose the text of an appropriate preamble to the constitution.

I do not consider this to be necessary or appropriate.

asked the Lord Privy Seal (1) from where any fissile material for reactors sold to the Federal Republic of Germany will be supplied; and what will be its nature;

(2) where reactors to be sold to the Federal Republic of Germany are to be manufactured;

(3) what contracts have been concluded with the Federal Republic of Germany for the sale of reactors; and the size of such reactors.

A provisional order has been placed with a British firm for a small research reactor of the swimming-pool type by one of the German Lander, but this is subject to an agreement being reached between the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany covering the supply of fissile material and the reprocessing of spent fuel elements. If this agreement is concluded, and the order confirmed, the reactor will be manufactured by the firm concerned and the fissile material, in the form of manufactured fuel elements, will be supplied by the Atomic Energy Authority. The material will be uranium enriched in the isotope U.235 up to a maximum of 20 per cent. U.235.

I am sure the country will be pleased to hear of the reply of my right hon. Friend and that some progress is being made in selling reactors abroad. Can he say whether this agreement with the Federal Republic of Germany covers a wider area of research and development than the sale of these reactors?

It is important for my hon. Friend and the House to realise that the agreement has not yet been finally reached. That is why I used the expression

"A provisional order has been placed."

Discussions are proceeding between the United Kingdom Government, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Atomic Energy Authority.

Are we to understand from the first Answer of the right hon. Gentleman that the enriched uranium, of which we are in short supply ourselves, is to be supplied from this country, or is it more likely to be sent from the United States of America?

If first an agreement is made and then this order goes through, it will be supplied by the Atomic Energy Authority.

Where will it come from?

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is aware of the need to introduce a uniform nomenclature of equipment used in nuclear research, and industrial development of nuclear energy; and if he will make a statement.

Yes, Sir. An expert Committee of the British Standards Institution, assisted by the Atomic Energy Authority, is engaged in the preparation of a uniform nomenclature covering the field of nuclear science and equipment. Her Majesty's Government are also giving their support to a programme which has been drawn up by the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation for establishing a uniform nomenclature amongst its member countries.

Can my right hon. Friend say whether he expects the British Standards Institution to publish a report and, if so, when it is to be expected?

The glossary of terms will he published in due course, but, in view of the number of items to be covered, it is not yet possible to say when.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when he expects the Atomic Energy Authority to publish its Annual Report for 1955–56.

It is expected to lay the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's Annual Report for 1955–56 before Parliament towards the end of July.

Is my right hon. Friend aware of the need for the Authority to publish its Report at a more convenient time for debate in Parliament than just before the summer Recess? Will he encourage the Authority to choose a more suitable time to publish in order that the Report can be considered by this House?

The first year's Report of the Authority was published in November, 1955, which was found to be an inconvenient date. A great effort was made therefore to speed up the Report to July. I cannot undertake that it will be possible to speed up the next Report beyond July, but I will certainly make an effort to put these matters before my noble Friend, and will bear in mind the point made by my hon. Friend.

asked the Lord Privy Seal the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the export of nuclear reactors and components.