asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the increased number of murders in recent weeks, he will consider the revision of the Homicide Act, 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider amending the Homicide Act, so as to include the penalty of capital punishment for those committing murder while committing criminal sexual acts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the need for providing for more effective punishment for those who murder with rape; and whether he will now consider immediate legislation to amend the Homicide Act so as to include killing by rape within the category of capital murder.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute an inquiry into the operation of the Homicide Act.

I am not convinced that any amendment of the Homicide Act would be appropriate at present.

Does not my right hon. Friend agree that there are many people in this country who are living alone with families who are living in fear of what might happen in the future? Is he also aware that there are many people who cannot leave their children unescorted after dark and that this fear is a very real and growing fear throughout the country? Only yesterday I was speaking to a British subject from Italy—[HON. MEMBERS:" Speech."]—who told me that in many cases people are restrained from coming to this country because of the crime in London.

I am aware of the natural anxiety about the state of crime. I am also aware that, taking statistics between set years, there was not a great increase in the murder rate between the years 1957 to 1960, for example, and 1953 to 1955. I am also aware that it is the duty of the Government to take every action possible, with the aid of a strong police and with the aid of the courts, to restore law and order where it is absent and to maintain it in any case. That I regard as my primary duty and in so far as it lies in my power will carry it out.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that between 11th December, when a little girl was brutally murdered near my constituency, and the end of January no less than seventeen women and girls have been murdered, the majority of whom were subject to sexual attacks? This has caused tremendous concern to mothers, who are afraid to send their children out at night. There is very strong feeling that the Homicide Act should be now amended to restore the deterrent of capital punishment for sexual attacks.

Yes, I am very conscious of the deep anxiety in relation to sexual crime. I cannot accept the exact figures of my hon. Friend, only for the reason that I am having the whole of these matters carefully analysed by my research unit. When I am in a position to give the figures exactly, I will do so. Nevertheless, we must not rely on figures. We must appreciate that there is great anxiety. The only thing I am not convinced of is the method suggested by my hon. Friend to cure this disagreeable state of affairs.

Whilst appreciating the sympathetic attitude of my right hon. Friend may I ask him if he recalls a statement he made at the Conservative Party Conference at Scarborough last year? He said that the primary duty of the Government was to protect the people, or words to that effect. Is he aware of the growing anger which is developing amongst the people at the failure of our Conservative Government to carry out that function?

No, I do not accept the latter part of my hon. Friend's statement. I accept that I made the statement to which he refers. The Government have taken exceptional steps to reinforce the forces of law and order, with the advice, among other things, of the Royal Commission. I am hopeful that we are beginning so to reinforce them that we shall get on top of the crime wave. I should like to feel that I have the support of the House as a whole in the undoubted efforts we all have to make together.

There is undoubted dissatisfaction throughout the country about the operation of the Homicide Act, both on the part of those who believe in capital punishment and on the part of those who believe in its abolition. How long does the Home Secretary think that this unsatisfactory state of affairs ought to continue before the Act is revised?

In my Answer, I used the expression "at present". I think that an art of statesmanship is to give an opportunity to see how something is working out. The few years in which the Act has been in operation have not yet given us quite a full enough idea. The second point emerges from the hon. Gentleman's statement. There are deep divisions of opinion in the House, which are not governed by party considerations, about what should be done about the Homicide Act. I am aware of most of these divisions, and I only hope that they are fully understood in the country, where they are largely shared.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for paying compensation to any person who suffers injury by going to the aid of a police officer.

The payment of compensation ex gratia to persons who suffer injury or loss while assisting the police is a matter for police authorities in the first instance. If my hon. Friend has any evidence that the present practice is not working satisfactorily, I shall be glad to consider it.

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that reply. Does he not feel that it is iniquitous that anybody who goes to the assistance of a police officer and suffers injury as a result gets no compensation? As the Government are considering matters of this kind at present, will he reconsider his decision, because I believe that my suggestion would be of great value to the police and a great help in preserving law and order?

I have a two-fold answer for my hon. Friend. First, there is a later Question about the general question of compensation for victims of crime. Secondly, the Home Office has frequently paid police grant on expenditure incurred by police authorities in paying compensation to persons who have suffered injury. That is why I wanted my hon. Friend to bring instances to my attention in case we could apply this practice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present annual cost to the public funds of police forces in the United Kingdom, including the extra cost to public funds of the recent police pay awards; how much of this total annual cost he estimates will be defrayed, percentum and in cash, by the yield this year of motorists' fines; and what increase he now anticipates in the yield of motorists' fines resulting from bringing the police force to full strength.

It is estimated that the cost of the police in Great Britain this year will be £130 million; and that fines for road traffic offences—which are credited to the Ministry of Transport—will yield some £2.6 million, and the fixed penalty system some £35,000 My right hon. Friend feels unable to speculate on the issues raised in the last part of the Question.

Will my hon. and learned Friend have some regard to the prospective additional revenue, which could be used to pay additional policemen in London and elsewhere, to be derived from the traffic warden system, which is now proving so efficacious in congested and built-up areas? Can my hon. and learned Friend give some indication of what revenue may be expected in the next few years from an extension of the traffic warden system to other congested areas in the Provinces, because this is surely a magnificent method of financing additional policemen?

As a keen statistician my hon. Friend will agree with me that better enforcement may lead to fewer offences and, therefore, less money collected by fines.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of a term of life imprisonment; and what arrangements he makes for retaining in custody a person convicted of murder beyond the end of a normal term of life imprisonment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy with regard to the retention in prison for life of all individuals sentenced to life imprisonment on a capital charge.

In considering how long it is necessary to detain a prisoner serving a sentence of life imprisonment for murder, I take into account all the circumstances of the offence, the age and character of the offender and his development in detention, and the necessity to protect the public from any prisoner who might be a danger if released. The actual period of detention varies widely, according to the circumstances of the case, from a year or even less, if there are strong compassionate grounds for early release, to twenty years or more in exceptional cases. It has hitherto been nine years in an average case, but it may well be higher in the future in the new circumstances created by the Homicide Act, 1957.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that sympathetic answer. As nine years has been the average, will he bear in mind that there are one or two atrocious young men such as Patrick Byrne who have committed terrible crimes in the past who will normally come out of prison in a few years' time as quite young men? They may well want restraining instead of being let loose on the public.

Yes. This is a heavy responsibility on the Home Secretary, and I will certainly bear all of these factors in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking for the special protection of children in the light of the recent series of child murders.

My right hon. Friend is assured by the Commissioner of Police that all Metropolitan Police officers, particularly women officers, are on the alert to protect children as a normal part of their duty, and give special attention to places where children congregate. My right hon. Friend is advised that the police elsewhere exercise a similar vigilance.

While thanking my hon. and learned Friend for his reply, may I ask him to look at this from a wider point of view only and ask his right hon. Friend to appoint a committee to consider how recent legislation has worked out—not only the Homicide Act, but also the Street Offences Act, in the manner referred to by my hon. Friend the Member for Ayr (Sir T. Moore) in his recent letter to The Times. Will he find a chairman for the committee with rather less whimsical ideas than Sir John Wolfenden?

It is right that I should have proper concern in this matter, but I remind my hon. Friend that, leaving aside cases in which parents were responsible for the deaths of their children, four child murders were reported in the three months up to the end of January. I am not quite sure what sort of inquiry my hon. Friend has in mind, bearing that factor in mind.

Will not the hon. and learned Gentleman agree that, while one answer is more vigilance on the part of parents, the public and an enlarged police force, nevertheless the detailed manner in which some of these crimes are reported in the Press sometimes leads to imitative crimes?

That is a matter of surmise, but I think that there is a great deal in what the hon. Lady says.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in settling the pay increases for senior police officers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present position of negotiations with regard to pay increases for the higher ranks of the police; and when he expects to reach a settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on increased remuneration for the higher ranks of the police force.

I am glad to say that the Police Council for Great Britain, which is the established negotiating machinery, has reached agreement on new rates of pay for sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors; and I am making the necessary Regulations to give effect to the agreement. Negotiations are proceeding on a claim for higher pay for superintendents and chief superintendents, and a claim for higher pay for chief officers of police has been received.

I am sure that the whole House will welcome that statement. Will my right hon. Friend pursue agreements with the most senior officers in the force, as they are feeling rather left out of the general pay increases that have been so rightly given? Will my right hon. Friend further say whether discussions will continue on the responsibilities that these senior officers carry, as there does seem to have been some uncertainty about that?

The second part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question is rather separate from questions of pay, but I would say in general that the matter is under consideration. With regard to the first part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question, we certainly want to conclude the negotiations with the superintendents and chief superintendents, and a claim for the higher pay of the chief officers. We shall then have completed the whole gamut, which, I hope, will really give to the police force as a whole the incentive that is so vital at the present time.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that very satisfactory reply. Is he aware that it will give great relief to many senior police officers who felt that the increase to the juniors was to be recouped at their expense and that this Answer alone will provide a very much happier feeling throughout the force?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that, at an inquest held at Harrogate on 12th October last, it was established that four-years-old Carole Ann Wilkinson was killed by a plastic dart from a plastic toy blow pipe imported from Hong Kong, which had no anti-suction device protection of any kind; and, in view of the grave danger to children from imported toys of this kind, and the increasing prevalence of accidents arising from these toys, whether he will appoint a committee to advise him on the steps to be taken to protect the lives of young children from these dangers.

I have seen reports of this tragic accident. I understand that this toy is no longer being sold. The Consumer Protection Bill, to which the House gave a Second Reading on 27th January, would enable my right hon. Friend to make regulations prohibiting the sale of specified goods which do not comply with specified safety requirements.

Whilst welcoming the Minister's Answer, may I ask whether he has seen a copy of the inquest proceedings, at which the doctor pointed out that in order to have saved the child's life it would have been necessary to operate within two minutes of the accident and there was not the remotest possibility of doing that? The coroner said that this was a cheap and shoddy thing and should not have been sold in the shops. Will the right hon. Gentleman approach his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade so that the importers of this article may be contacted with a view to compensation being paid to the parents of Carole Ann Wilkinson?

As to the first part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question, I do not think I can say more than that I am aware of what he has said. With regard to the second part. I will look at his remarks, but I do not think there can be a case for compensation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to the conclusions of an official survey by a medical practitioner that Borstal boys suffering from an incurable aversion to work should. in certain circumstances, be granted a State pension of f10 per week; how much it now costs per week to keep a boy in Borstal; and if he will make a statement.

This was an unofficial survey conducted by the medical officer of a borstal on his own initiative and without extra cost to public funds. The author received permission to publish the results, and in discussing the need for further study of this problem he made an ironic reference to this possibility as a means of emphasising the high cost of institutional treatment, which for a boy in borstal is about £1I a week.

Would not my right hon. Friend agree that instead of paying these moronic beatniks a pension grossly in excess of the wages received by many who have to work hard for their living, more appropriate treatment would be a diet of bread and water, accompanied by regular doses of corporal punishment?

I do not think that I could accept all my hon. and gallant Friend's supplementary question, but I think that he would be interested to see a copy of the article containing the statement referred to. and I will endeavour to send him a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of new scientific information and the confusion in the public mind as to the probable effects of nuclear weapons and their aftermath, Her Majesty's Government will make a new investigation into the biological and environmental effects of a nuclear attack on Great Britain.

No, Sir. Arrangements already exist to keep our scientific knowledge on these matters up to date.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the United States Government have seen fit to hold a public inquiry and have published the findings in a report under the name of the chairman, Mr. Holifield, and is it not more consistent with British democracy that the Government should do for our people what the American Government do for theirs?

I am aware of the report, of which we have taken full advantage, and also the particular Congressional Sub-Committee hearing in 1959, but we do not find in the information anything that is not available to us already. I will certainly bear in mind the need for bringing our information up to date all the time, and will, to that extent, pay attention to the hon. Gentleman's question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the degree of radioactivity in London after the dropping of a 20-megaton nuclear bomb near the centre; and to what extent civil defence organisations are equipped to deal with such an emergency.

The effects of such a bomb would depend on a number of factors, such as the height at which it was burst, and the prevailing wind. But there would be a large area of total destruction, and radioactivity would affect most of the remaining part of London. Nothing could prevent enormous casualties; but civil defence would help numbers of people to survive who would otherwise die.

Is the Home Secretary aware that a group of scientists from the universities has said that it would be at least 250 years before the area would be free from radioactivity and able again to be occupied? In those circumstances, are the arrangements for our civil defence adequate?

As has been observed in the Defence White Paper this year, an advance is being made in our civil defence preparations. It might not be a very big one, but it is definitely being made, and it will, I hope, also encourage local authorities such as London, who have done so much to help us and whom I hope to be able to help in my turn. I hope that we shall do our very best to warn people of 'the dangers, and to take all the steps we humanly can to deal with them ahead.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been under the Obscene Publications Act, 1959, since it became law.

Eighty, Sir.

In view of the spate of undesirable, salacious literature, why have not more prosecutions been instituted? Does it arise from defects in the Act?

It is not, of course, for my right hon. Friend to initiate prosecutions. I should have thought that 80 was a considerable number. Perhaps I should add that they do not include forfeitures under Section 3 of the Act, of which there were 53. The Act has been on the Statute Book only 17 months, and I should have thought it a little early to suggest that there were defects in it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he will take to protect the rights of pedestrians, in view of the persistent practice of parking cars on pavements in the city of Westminster, details of which have been forwarded to him by the hon. Member for Lambeth, Brixton.

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that special attention is paid, within the limits of available manpower, to the practice of parking cars wholly or partially on the footway. In suitable cases, offending cars have been removed, and proceedings taken against the drivers.

In particular, will the hon. and learned Gentleman impress upon those Ministers of the Crown who park their officials cars on the pavement in Cowley Street to give up this bad habit and set a better example to the general public? Why should women with perambulators be forced off the footway because of the selfish motorists in Cowley Street, Barton Street, Romney Street and Victoria Square—to mention only a few of the thoroughfares in which so many "top" Tories reside?

I should require notice of any particular offence alleged.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in view of the exhibition by television authorities of X certificate films which the British Board of Film Censors has adjudged unsuitable for children, if he will now reconsider the question of an independent inquiry into the whole system of censorship.

No, Sir. My right hon. Friend remains as yet unconvinced that such an inquiry would serve a useful purpose.

In view of the accumulating evidence, would not the Minister of State reconsider that Answer? Is he aware that this is not only a question of violence and horror on the television screen, and the extraordinary anomaly of having X certificate films being put on the television screen, but of the whole situation of having a trade censor for the cinema, a feudal form of censorship for the theatre, and no form of censorship at all on television? Surely this situation should be reviewed for the guidance of citizens, and especially for the parents of young children?

My right hon. Friend did say to the hon. Gentleman on an earlier occasion that he would not ignore any representation made to him by the hon. Gentleman, or from any other quarter, on this Question, but he does not yet feel that an inquiry will be the right solution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been stolen from banks, stores, messengers, and others during each of the past three years in cases known to the police; how much has been recovered; and in how many cases arrests have been made.

This information is not available. There is some information respecting the Metropolitan Police District in the annual reports of the Commissioner of Police which may assist the hon. Member, and I will write to him about this.

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman satisfied that the steps he is now taking to add to the police force are sufficient to cope with the situation which, in respect of the matters I have rasied, is a very serious one?

With respect to the hon. Gentleman, I do not think that that matter arises directly out of his Question, but I can assure him that this problem to which he refers is one which engages the very serious attention of the Commissioner, and he is doing all he can to meet it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the continuing difficulties in the investigation of criminal cases through the reluctance of many persons to give their knowledge of serious crime to the police because they are afraid of the Press publicity through the publication of names and addresses; and if he will introduce legislation to prevent such publication by the Press or any other body in order to encourage and safeguard those who volunteer information.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the possible dangers to which the hon. Lady refers; but, on the information before him, he is not satisfied that there are sufficient grounds for the legislation proposed.

Is the hon. and learned Gentleman aware of the very grave concern there is about this matter? Only recently, while the police were making inquiries into a murder, when information was given, certain sections of the Press published the name—although the person was a juvenile—the age and the address, together with the information which had been given. Does he not realise that people are scared to come forward and give evidence or information they may have because of their fear of details about themselves being published? Will he ask his right hon. Friend to look at the matter again in the interests both of the police who are making the inquiries and of the people who are prepared, if protected, to give information regarding the matters being investigated?

The hon. Lady has drawn attention to a serious matter. Publicity which deters witnesses from coming forward is clearly against the public interest. It is to be hoped that the Press will bear this in mind. My right hon. Friend proposes to consult the Commissioner of Police about it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the unsatisfactory conditions in pet shops, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Beckenham he will inquire into the working of the Pet Animals Act, 1951, with a view to the introduction of amending legislation where necessary.

I am making inquiries about the case to which my hon. Friend refers and will write to him.

Does my right hon. Friend recall that the Penge Council quite recently tried to shut down a fairly notorious pet shop which had been exposed in the Sunday Pictorial, and the prosecution failed because of what can only be described as an absurd technicality in the law? Is he really satisfied with the present state of the law controlling pet shops?

I cannot answer that until my inquiries are complete. There may well be a case for amending legislation. I will get in touch with my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the murders known to the police, and of the offences known to the police which were first recorded as murder but reduced to manslaughter by the operation of Section 2 or Section 4 of the Homicide Act, 1957, in each of the calendar years 1951 to 1960 were committed by persons under the age of 18 at the time of the offence, by persons between the ages of 18 and under 21, by persons over the age of 21, and by persons whose ages are unknown.

As the Answer includes a table of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the murders known to the police and of the offences known to the police which were first recorded as murder but reduced to manslaughter by the operation of Section 2 or Section 4 of the Homicide Act, 1957, in each of the calendar years 1951 to 1960, were done in the course or furtherance of theft or by shooting or causing an explosion or in the course, or for the purpose of resisting or preventing arrest or of effecting or assisting an escape or rescue from legal custody or were of a police officer in the execution of his duty or of a person assisting a police officer so acting or were by a prisoner of a prison officer acting in the execution of his duty or of a person assisting a prison officer so acting.

I will, with permission, circulate the figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Can my right hon. Friend tell the House whether the fluctuations since 1957 in the annual figures for (hose types of murder which were before 1957 and have since 1957 been punishable with death show any difference? Are the figures better or worse than for all the other types of murder which were punishable with death before 1957 but which have ceased to be so punishable?

The figures do show considerable fluctuation from year to year. I think it is true to say that the figures for non-capital murder show a very slightly larger rise than those for capital murder during the years in question. My hon. and learned Friend will realise that the figures for the earlier year are in part estimates, and it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions, as he will see when he reads the figures.

Do all the figures which the right hon. Gentleman is to publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT show any marked trends from which he can draw any conclusions at all?

I was simply saying that some of the earlier figures are estimates and there are also considerable annual fluctuations. An answer to the supple. mentary question to which my hon. and learned Friend addressed himself really does not appear clearly from the figures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation allowing police expenditure incurred in the control of vehicles carrying abnormally large loads along highways to be charged to the owners of the loads instead of half to the taxpayer and half to the ratepayer.

No, Sir. This is part of the general duty of the police in regulating traffic on the public highway, and is of benefit to other road users.

Is my hon. and learned Friend aware that there is considerable feeling on both sides of the House, I think, that it is wrong in the national interest to discriminate in favour of the roads against the railways, and will he not look aft the matter again, since it appears to be an example of help being given to driving traffic on to the roads away from the railways?

There are many of these abnormal indivisible loads which could not go by railway. So far as those who use the roads for that purpose need the help of police escorts, the view has always been taken for many years that they should have the help of the police, and it is help which the police are obliged to give as part of their general duty to road users.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute an inquiry into the accusatorial system of justice in relation to its working in recent criminal trials for capital offences.

I am not satisfied that there is need for an inquiry of this kind.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many of us in considering capital punishment are less concerned with the nature of the penalty, when this is clearly merited, than with the possibility that there might be errors in the course of justice? Will he look at our judicial procedures in the light not only of the Evans case but the further case particulars of which I sent to him, which has enjoyed certain publicity which I am reluctant to renew? Can he assure us on that point, because many people will be much clearer in their minds if he can do so?

My hon. Friend's Question covers the whole range of the system of British justice which, instead of following the foreign model of some countries of having an inquisitorial system, is based on the system to which my hon. Friend has referred. As at present advised, I do not think that I should have an inquiry into it.

Is this the sort of matter which might be referred to one of the committees which sit from time to time in his Department to consider this kind of thing, since there is considerable public anxiety—I share the feeling of the hon. Member who raised the question—about certain events in recent times?

I do not think there is a committee sitting at present to which it could be referred, but I will, of course, look into what the hon. Member says.

Is the Home Secretary satisfied that our system provides adequate assurances that evidence collected by the police which might be of use to the defence but which is of no use to the prosecution is made available to the defence? This is a subject about which there is growing disquiet.

There is a Question by the hon. Member for Islington, East (Mr. Fletcher) later on the Order Paper which will give me occasion to deal with this matter, which is a particular aspect of the subject. I did notice that my hon. Friend was really questioning, quite legitimately, but questioning none the less, the whole system of British justice.

Does not the Home Secretary recognise that there is much concern not only in legal circles but among the public generally about the frequent disregard of the Judges' Rules? While this is a serious matter in all criminal cases, is it not particularly serious in capital cases?

Yes, but the hon. Member has a Question down about the Judges' Rules, which is really a rather separate matter from this, and I will, of course, answer that when we reach it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the recent robbery which took place on a London omnibus, whether he will instruct the Metropolitan Police Commissioner to consult with the London Transport Executive about security arrangements for the transportation and collection of cash for wages.

It must fall primarily to the British Transport Commission police to advise the London Transport Executive on security arrangements of this kind.

Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that the whole system of carrying wages in buses of the London Transport Executive is, to say the least, archaic, especially because the buses are open? Why could not ordinary motor transport be used and different routes be taken in order to avoid waste of public money?

My right hon. Friend has no responsibility for the British Transport Commission police, but there is close consultation between them and the Metropolitan Police, who are always glad to advise in response to requests for advice on the security of money and so on in transit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that there are many accidents to children resulting in severe burns from fireworks on or about 5th November every year; and if he will take powers to prohibit the sale of dangerous fireworks to the public.

The Fireworks Act, 1951, enables my right hon. Friend to order the seizure and destruction of dangerous fireworks, and steps are taken to ensure that fireworks sold to the public are not dangerous if used according to the directions and with care. But my right hon. Friend would be glad to receive information about fireworks that are believed to have caused accidents.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that on 5th November this year 11 children were admitted to the Booth Hall Children's Hospital in my constituency very seriously burned by fireworks, and one child admitted, on 28th October, died as the result of such burns on 7th November? Does he agree that some very drastic action ought to be taken to prevent this annual tragedy which calls for something more than the mere prohibition of the sale of dangerous fireworks to juveniles?

My right hon. Friend knows that there is concern, and, in fact, I am obtaining further information from the source which my hon. Friend has mentioned. The probable result will be that the only complete solution would be to ban all fireworks. I doubt that there is any intermediate solution between the implementation of present legislation and that.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish an official booklet in clear and simple language setting out the present law with respect to betting, gaming and lotteries.

My right hon. Friend does not think that this is a case in which publication of an official booklet would be appropriate. It is hoped, however, to take steps to consolidate the law on these matters.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that many clubs and other organisations which wish to keep on the right side of the law find it very difficult to know what the law is when confronted with a Home Office Act of Parliament like the Betting and Gaming Act? Will not he reconsider this matter so that there might be some simple booklet available to which these organisations can refer?

Two of the principal organisations concerned have issued instructions to their own members. The Home Office has circulated all the relevant authorities and there have been at least two booklets published commercially dealing with the workings of the Betting and Gaming Act. I should have thought that sufficient information was available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue revised instructions as to the taking of evidence by police in the Metropolitan area.

My right hon. Friend is not convinced that any alteration is called for in the practice at present followed in this matter by the Metropolitan Police.

I am sure that the hon. and learned Gentleman will appreciate that the words "in the Metropolitan area" in the Question were inserted to keep within order. Is he aware that this Question was put on the Order Paper long before the Riley case? Is he further aware that I have here a report of a recent case in Yorkshire in which a woman was acquitted of theft by a jury after a signed statement had been produced admitting her guilt which she was supposed to have written in the police station? Does not this show that there was something wrong either with the course of justice or with the way in which this statement was taken?

I cannot comment on any particular case without notice, but I would remind the hon. Lady that the Judges' Rules, as supplemented in 1947 and in 1948, have been brought to the notice of all the police. It is part of their training to understand them. The police are fully aware of their responsibilities in this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied that the resources of the Murder Squad of the Metropolitan Police force are adequate to meet all demands upon it in view of the increase in the number of murders which have been committed during the past three months and the consequent additional strain upon all members of the force; and if he will make a statement.

The Commissioner of Police informs me that, although his officers are hard pressed, he continues to be able to meet requests for assistance from other forces in cases of serious crime. Without further analysis, which is being undertaken, my right hon. Friend would not wish to accept the implication that there has been a significant change in the murder rate.

May I ask my hon. and learned Friend whether the Home Secretary will give an undertaking that he will constantly review the strength of the Murder Squad in the interests both of the public and of the police?

Of course, with regard to any increase in the complement of the police, my right hon. Friend is always willing to go into these matters with the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, who is the only chief officer of police for whom he has direct responsibility.

Would not the prospect of deterring crimes of sex and violence increase if hon. Members were less keen to spread commercial broadcasting in this country?

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons, male and female, were sent to gaol for debt in 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1960; and what was the average length of imprisonment.

In 1957 there were 6,962 males and 94 females so sent to prison; in 1958 the figures were 8,880 males and 160 females, and in 1959 7,366 males and 201 females. The figures for 1960 are not yet available, and figures have not been kept of the average period of imprisonment.

Does my right hon. Friend think that the figures are increasing because people have very much better earnings these days? Has he seen the report in The Times that two learned gentlemen, one in 1869 and the other in 1960, have expressed the opinion that there is a real case for the abolition of imprisonment for debt? Will he consider this, especially in view of the fact that many of these people are unemployed or are on National Assistance?

I could not answer the first part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question without further information and my right hon. Friend is considering whether this should be collected. I think that the second part goes rather beyond her original Question.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how many of these cases arose from difficulties concerning hire-purchase agreements?

I could not answer that without notice and probably without the further information which might have to be collected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults, rapes, and murders were known to the police during the months of November and December, 1960, and January, 1961.

I regret that figures for January, 1961, are not yet available, and that there are no statistics of non-indictable assaults known to the police. I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table giving for November and December, 1960, the other figures asked for.

While anticipating the figures which will eventually be given, may I ask my right hon. Friend whether the Home Secretary will give an undertaking to view with an open mind all deterrents for these crimes of violence?

I think that the answer to that is, "Yes, Sir".

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the case of Timothy John Evans in view of the fresh evidence which has come to light.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now grant permission to Timothy John Evans' mother to receive the remains of her son for interment in holy ground in accordance with the practice of the Roman Catholic Church.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will hold a further inquiry into the trial of Timothy John Evans who was executed at Pentonville Prison in 1949 for the murder of his daughter Geraldine.

I am not yet in a position to make a further statement on these matters.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say when he thinks that he will be able to make a statement?

In view of the complexity of the matter, the amount of material available and the time taken by certain others to investigate this matter, it is important that I should take my own time before I make a statement.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that I certainly recognise that this matter requires the most careful investigation on his part and that, in so far as I personally could be of any assistance to him, I should be delighted to render my assistance.

I thank the hon. and learned Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the increasing concern felt by the public about convictions in criminal cases, particularly murder trials, where convictions result from confessions made by the accused while in police custody, without adequate corroborative evidence of guilt; and whether he will review the existing procedure obtaining in such cases.

I am aware of the views which have been expressed on this matter. The present practice of the police in relation to the taking of statements is governed by the Judges' Rules, and I am not convinced that action on the lines suggested by the hon. Member is suitable.

Does not the Home Secretary recognise that, whether one believes in the retention of capital punishment or in its complete abolition, there is very considerable public disquiet about the administration of justice and, in particular, when convictions result from confessions obtained in a police station without any corroboration? While that is serious in all criminal cases, it is particularly serious in capital cases. Will he try to exercise his responsibility to ensure that the Judges' Rules are thoroughly observed?

Yes, Sir. It had crossed my mind that this might be a matter for the Royal Commission, but hitherto it has not interpreted its terms of reference as covering this matter. I am, however, in touch with the chairman of the Royal Commission, and if the Judges' Rules are to be looked into I must reserve the position of the Lord Chief Justice. I go so far as to say that these things indicate that I regard this as a serious and important matter.

In view of the public disquiet about the Riley case following the recent revelations concerning the Evans case, does not the right hon. Gentleman think that it would be wise to ask the Royal Commission to investigate this matter?

I would want to be satisfied, because the police operate on what are known as the Judges' Rules. It is, therefore, a matter on which I think I should first consult the Lord Chief Justice, but it depends on the Judges' Rules which I am sure we all wish to see properly carried out. That is why a little care and investigation is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long Prisoner No. 1, Dartmoor, has been in solitary confinement; and to what extent it is anticipated that this map's conduct will improve as a result of this punishment.

Thirteen and a half months This lengthy segregation is not a punishment but a necessary means of protecting members of the prison staff and other prisoners from physical injury by this prisoner. My right hon. Friend hopes shortly to arrange for him to be transferred to another prison where he can be allowed some association under special supervision. [Interruption.]

I could hear neither Question nor Answer. May we have more silence?

Is it not rather against the conventions of the House that when an hon. Member has put down a Question on a most important subject, he should retreat from the Chamber in order to avoid calling it?

That is not a question for me. May we start the Answer to Question No. 48 again, please?

Thirteen and a half months. This lengthy segregation is not a punishment but a necessary means of protecting members of the prison staff and other prisoners from physical injury by this prisoner. My right hon. Friend hopes shortly to arrange for him to be transferred to another prison where he can be allowed some association under special supervision.

I am sure the right hon. Gentleman appreciates that although technically it is not a punishment, it may seem a punishment to the man concerned. While I appreciate the reason for it, may I ask whether there is any prospect or hope that this prisoner will be able to be moved fairly shortly to another place where he can associate with other prisoners?

I intimated some months ago in the House that special provision would be made for prisoners of this type where solitary confinement would not predominate so much in the regime. This prisoner will be one of the first to be moved.

Is it not disturbing and startling that in our prisons today a man can be kept for over a year in solitary confinement, no matter what the circumstances? This is startling new information and I should like to know whether the right hon. Gentleman does not consider that we should make different arrangements. Is it not appalling that people who are criminal but not lunatic should be kept for over a year in solitary confinement?

I have said that we are making different arrangements. I think that if the right hon. Gentleman saw the record of this prisoner's fights against fellow prisoners as well as staff, he would appreciate the reason for this action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the principles on which he acts in granting and in refusing visas to persons desiring to visit this country; and what means of appeal there are from his decision to refuse a visa.

A visa to visit the United Kingdom is normally granted unless the applicant is personally unacceptable or there are reasonable grounds for concluding that he would not be willing and able to leave this country at the end of the permitted period of stay. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. and learned Member to the Answer my right hon. Friend gave to a Question on this subject by the hon. and learned Member for Ipswich (Mr. D. Foot) on 9th February.

Would it not be reasonable to administer this branch of a Government Department in a way which would enable potential visitors and guests to plan in advance? The fact that this is not done causes a great deal of inconvenience.

So far as possible, we attempt to administer this policy in a way which will enable people to plan in advance. If the hon. Member has any case in mind in which that has not happened, perhaps he will be so good as to let me have particulars of it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the sentence imposed on Alice May Drury, a prisoner in Holloway prison.

My right hon. Friend has carefully considered this case in the light of the representations made to him by my hon. Friend. His conclusion is that he would not be justified in recommending any interference with the sentence which the court thought it right to impose and with which the Court of Criminal Appeal found no reason to disagree.

Does my right hon. Friend realise that before putting this Question down I gave it much thought because it might set a bad precedent if every hon. Member put down Questions concerning every prisoner. On the other hand, in this case there are somewhat extraordinary circumstances. It was described as "a most tragic case" when it came up before the judge. Many counsel were of the view that the sentence imposed might well not have exceeded two or three months, whereas the sentence which was imposed was two years. Because this unfortunate middle-aged woman, who had never committed any crime before, was advised to appeal, she lost 63 days remission. Although I have the greatest respect for my right hon. Friend's right hon. Friend's judgment, I would nevertheless ask my right hon. Friend whether he will appeal to his right hon. Friend as to whether he will temper his judgment with mercy in this case. I appeal to him sincerely, particularly in view of the fact—[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech."] This is a personal case.

I appreciate that, but the question is rather long. Perhaps the hon. Member will bring it to an end.

If I may humbly beg you on this occasion, I have heard a number of personal cases raised in this House and, owing to the fact that they are personal cases, I have always thought there was some latitude allowed. It is very difficult to convey the circumstances of a personal case of this nature to the House unless one tells the facts of the case.

The hon. Member will bear in mind that one of the objects of Questions is not the giving of information. That is not what they are for.

I apologise to you, Mr. Speaker, and to the House, for keeping you in this instance. I would merely ask my right hon. Friend to ask his right hon. Friend if he will please reconsider this case. If he wants any further information I shall be glad to see him about it.

I agree with my hon. Friend that this is a particularly tragic case. No additional information has come before my right hon. Friend which was not before the court or the Court of Criminal Appeal and there is, therefore, no basis on which my right hon. Friend can intervene. Nor has he any discretionary power to reverse a decision of the Court of Criminal Appeal about the time spent as an appellant. I regret, therefore, that I am unable to accede to my hon. Friend's request.

As my right hon. Friend has already told me he has discretionary powers in this case but does not feel that he can exercise them, the answer I have been given is wrong. I give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment at the first opportunity.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that farmers who wish to install bulk milk storage tanks have found that such tanks manufactured by different firms in different parts of the country and made of different materials are offered for sale at exactly the same price; and whether he will ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the President of the Board of Trade to investigate the matter with a view to referring it to the Monopolies Commission.

I have seen Press reports to this effect. If there is evidence of an agreement between suppliers that should be on the Register of Restrictive Trade Agreements, it should be sent to the Registrar for consideration. Reference to the Monopolies Commission does not seem to me to be appropriate.

Is the Prime Minister aware that this practice penalises the most progressive people and that in the United States people are sent to jail for doing things like this? Can he say anything which would discourage people from indulging in these restrictive practices?

I understand that in the United States, as in this country, people are sent to prison for breaking the law of the land. I merely suggest that this should be more a matter for the Registrar, because it is prima facie a question about a possible price agreement. That comes under restrictive practices.

asked the Prime Minister whether it is now the policy of Her Majesty's Government that he and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs should participate in political discussions with heads of Governments and Foreign Ministers of the Six.

It is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to facilitate and improve political co-operation between European countries in every way. Accordingly, if we were to receive an invitation from the Six Governments to take part in meetings with them for the purpose of political consultation we would certainly be disposed to accept it.

Will not the Prime Minister agree that the difficulties which prevent this country from joining the Common Market do not apply when it comes to the closest possible political co-operation between Her Majesty's Government and the Six?

I think that that follows from my reply.

asked the Prime Minister if he proposes to discuss the effect of the economic situation in the United States of America and the United Kingdom on the problem of unemployment in Great Britain, during his coming visit to the United States of America.

As I have said before, I hope to discuss with President Kennedy all the international problems that confront us. These naturally include a number of aspects of the world economic situation.

Is the Prime Minister aware that there are now over 5 million unemployed in the United States and that this will result in a decreased demand for British goods? Is he aware that American citizens in this country are now being advised by the American Government not to buy British motor cars? Will the Prime Minister respectfully suggest to President Kennedy that however grave is his problem in America, we will not be pleased if he exports it here?

That is precisely the point that the world economic structure must be considered as a whole, and what is done in other countries has a tremendous effect upon our position.

If the right hon. Gentleman is to have talks on the economic situation, both here and in the United States and, probably, elsewhere, will he also take into account the desirability of discussing the effect of American action on British shipping, even if the discussions are confidential? I do not mind as long as the right hon. Gentleman has the discussions.

As I said a day or two ago, that had not escaped us.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind the possibility of discussing with President Kennedy the possible reduction of quotas and tariffs in both countries so as to bring a little more competition into both economies and give greater efficiency?

All these things are relevant, but I must be careful not to discuss these matters with Members of the House. I am supposed to be discussing them with President Kennedy.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will now name the date on which he proposes to meet President Kennedy.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Healey) on 14th February.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the hon. Member for Louth (Mr. C. Osborne) has been placed in an invidious position by certain investigations in this country and that although there is a certain humorous irony in the case, nevertheless an important principle is involved in this noxious practice? Will the Prime Minister raise the matter with President Kennedy?

I do not quite understand how that has to do with the date of my visit.

asked the Prime Minister when he will announce the names of the Royal Commission on the Press.

I have nothing at present to add to what I said on 14th February.

Is not that a rather disappointing reply? Is the Prime Minister aware that the employees of Odhams, quite a number of whom are constituents of mine, strongly object to being bought and sold like livestock at the bidding of Press tycoons and that they are getting a little anxious about the continued delay in getting on with the job, first, of appointing a Royal Commission and, secondly, ensuring that it will report in the near future? Can the right hon. Gentleman hold out any prospect of when he will be able to persuade these unwilling people to join the Royal Commission?

It takes a little time to get the people I particularly want to get. As I have said before and as, I think, the House understands, the Royal Commission is not connected with this particular transaction.

Is the Prime Minister in a positon to give any indication of the length of time that the deliberations of the Royal Commission will take? Is it his intention to confer with the chairman when appointed as to a possible timetable?

Yes, Sir. I hope to make a statement as soon as I can.