asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Home Office Circular No. 88/1968, advising local authorities of revisions of fees on 1st April, 1968, was not sent so as to arrive before 28th March, 1968.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to a Question by the hon. Member for Somerset, North (Mr. Dean) on 6th May.—[Vol. 764, c. 25.]

Does the Minister realise that local authorities had sent out for and collected fees at the old rate before the circular arrived, and that 49 of these fees have risen by between 100 and 2,000 per cent.? Does it not make it difficult to collect the new fees and is it not costing local authorities a lot of money through the negligence of his Department?

I have already expressed apologies on behalf of the Department. The initial reason why it was not sent out immediately was that there had been a whole series of Parliamentary Questions tabled on the Orders, and also a Prayer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further progress has been made in dealing with the issues raised by the case of Mr. H. J. Pilcher, of 162, Brixton Hill Court, S.W.2, since the Home Office pro- posals were made known to the Conference of Commonwealth Law Ministers held in 1966.

The point has been noted for amendment of the Maintenance Orders (Facilities for Enforcement) Act, 1920, but my right hon. Friend cannot hold out hope of early legislation.

Is my hon. Friend aware that I have been in correspondence about this case with a succession of Home Secretaries since 1958? When will some action be taken to remedy the very serious injustices suffered by my constituent, and possibly by others in this connection?

I am aware of my hon. Friend's efforts in this matter. The subject matter is complex and, to some extent, dependent on development in other countries. It is, however, of concern to comparatively few parties to maintenance orders and cannot be given undue priority. My hon. Friend will be aware of the Conference of Commonwealth Law Ministers which was held in 1966.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place under the Litter Act during each year since the legislation was enacted; and how many of these resulted in convictions.

I will, with permission, circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT, a table showing, for England and Wales, the number of persons prosecuted and the number convicted in each year.

Whilst realising that I cannot make very informed comments on that Answer, may I ask whether the hon. Gentleman is satisfied that everything is being done to make use of existing legislation so that the despoiling of the countryside with litter does not continue at the present rate?

Yes, I am satisfied that the Act referred to is adequate. The hon. Gentleman will be aware of the powers in the Civic Amenities Act, 1967, in relation to this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the number of immigrants and their dependants admitted to the United Kingdom last month, he will now stop the issue of all further work permits for immigrants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of last month's immigration figures, he will curb immigration until the present scarcity of houses, schools and hospitals has been overcome; and if he will make a statement.

No. Sir. The number of employment vouchers issued is already closely controlled. Since April of this year their issue has been strictly related to the country's economic and social needs.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that places like Birmingham, Bradford and Ealing are saying that they cannot take any more immigrants, because they are full? Would not it be better to stop all further work permits to get the situation under control, because, if we do not, we shall have an explosion in this country.

The situation is under control. The work vouchers issued are basically issued in relation to the category "A" vouchers on the application of employers in Birmingham and elsewhere for persons to come to specified jobs. Therefore, the matter is not out of control. The Government have limited the total number of vouchers, but employers are asking for these people to come.

Does the Minister agree that there are far more dependants coming over now than there are work permit holders? Is there not a case, as a purely temporary measure until we have examined the problems involved in the immigration influx, to call a temporary halt to all immigration?

No. I think that would cause a disproportionate amount of distress to the families involved. An urgent examination of the problem is being made, and I have undertaken to inform the House of the Government's conclusions as early as possible.

The original Question related to vouchers. Will the right hon. Gentleman consider issuing more information about how they are broken down into different kinds of jobs and to whom they are issued? I feel—and I hope the right hon Gentleman will agree—that we need more information about it.

I will certainly consider that. It is for my right hon. Friend the First Secretary to issue this information. Her predecessor made a full statement about it in February. It is not generally recognised how far the initiative for bringing people here under work vouchers begins in this country. I will certainly see that full information is made available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to set up a register in which all immigrants residing in the United Kingdom would be asked to enter claims they have to wives or children still residing overseas and to arrange that such a register shall be closed in six months' time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will ask all male Commonwealth immigrants over the age of 21 years on their arrival in the United Kingdom to state the names, addresses and ages of dependants or further dependants whom they wish to join them in the United Kingdom.

The compilation of a register of dependants was attempted in 1965 but found to be of little practical value. Nevertheless I am having the matter examined again to see if such a system can be introduced.

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that sympathetic response. Will he bear in mind that a register would give immigration officers something to work on, towns like Birmingham and Bradford would know the number of immigrants to expect in future, and the matter would then be brought under control?

If the register was accurate and was maintained accurately, I have no doubt that that would be so, but there were practical difficulties last time. I would not want to foreshadow now that it would be possible to introduce it, but it would be much more administratively convenient if we did so, and it would do no harm to anybody who seeks to come here. That is why I am considering whether it is possible to overcome the administrative difficulties.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that what is worrying people more than anything else is the open-ended commitment to admit a large and unspecified number of dependants, and would not the suggestions made by my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Mr. Gresham Cooke) and myself enable that commitment to be first measured, and then limited, in addition to helping to stop evasion?

That is an exaggeration of the position. A number of dependants have not yet joined the breadwinner who, because he came in before 1962, was not registered. Since then there has been control and the number of vouchers issued each year has steadily declined. Once the backlog has been worked off it will be possible, on the basis of the average size of a family, to say how many will be coming here.

Is my hon. Friend aware that a declaration of family responsibility by voucher holders already here, and voucher holders who will be coming here in future, would be a considerable asset to his Department in arranging that sort of thing? Will my right hon. Friend promise to look sympathetically at the principle of that suggestion?

That is exactly why I am having the matter re-examined. I recognise the advantages of having a register if we can get one. That is why I said in my original reply that I am looking into the matter with great care.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has now made of the number of immigrant children to be allowed into Great Britain as dependants during the next three months, in order that local authorities may be enabled to plan to provide educational and other facilities.

It is not possible to give a reliable estimate.

As it is the Government's policy to keep an open door for all dependants, does not the right hon. Gentleman have a responsibility to let local authorities know just what the commitments are to enable them to meet their statutory obligations with regard to services such as education and welfare?

If I understand it aright, it is the policy of the House of Commons, including the Conservative Party, to allow dependants to come here. The hon. Gentleman may dissociate himself from his party, but that has been the view and the policy of both parties in this country. I believe that it is humane and civilised and that we should maintain the right of dependants to join the breadwinners in this country. Once the backlog has been worked off, we shall be able to determine much more accurately what is likely to be the number of children arriving. I asked specifically what is the number involved, in view of the rather emotive phrase "open door." The number of children arriving over the last six months has been going down. Last October it was 3,835. That was the first of the months for which I asked. In March it was 2,661, which was 1,200 fewer.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that although priorities have been offered to the city of Birmingham, the council has not applied for any additional building in recent times? Does not that attitude smack of humbug and hypocrisy?

Officials of the Home Office are in touch with the city of Birmingham at the moment. I shall wait with interest to see what practical proposals the council puts forward for dealing with this matter.

I understand that it is the official policy of the Labour Party to keep these matters out of party politics, which hardly seams to be the tenor of the last supplementary question. Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will answer this supplementary question, which is not unkindly meant: does he realise that a great deal of the anxiety revolves around abuse, namely, suppositious relatives coming in under a false guise, and will he constantly attend to the question of how to prevent impersonations and fraud?

I am aware that there is a widespread belief that evasions are practised. I can only say that the investigations which I carry out show that a great many of the intended evasions are prevented, and they do not enter the country where there is an attempt at evasion. Clearly this will go on. People want to come to this country. The attempts to evade will continue, but I do not at the moment believe that there is a great deal of evasion, although there is no doubt that there are many attempts at it.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the recent demand of the Birmingham City Council to keep all immigrants of this kind out of Birmingham is totally impracticable? Is my right hon. Friend also aware that this is part of a politically motivated campaign, and will he call on the official Opposition to dissociate themselves from it?

I think that that question was not addressed to me. At any rate, it bounced over my head on to the benches opposite. I am waiting to hear what proposals Birmingham City Council has to put forward which are practical and which can be carried out in a free society such as we have.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates he has made of the number of dependants who are entitled to entry under the present Commonwealth Immigration Act, but who have not yet availed themselves of such entitlement.

The average rate of settlement from both old and new Commonwealth countries since the Commonwealth immigration control was introduced has been 57,000 annually. There is a backlog of dependants who have not yet joined the men who were admitted before the passing of the 1962 Act as well as the families of those admitted since the Act. In the light of the drastic cut in the issue of work vouchers as well as other restrictions enforced in the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1968, the numbers entering for settlement will begin to fall when the arrears have been overtaken. But it is not possible to make a reliable estimate as to how many will seek to enter the United Kingdom in a particular year.

In view of the rational and dispassionate basis on which the right hon. Gentleman wants this subject discussed—I refer to his answer to a supplementary question on Question No. 17—does he not think that that spirit would be very considerably enhanced if this information were made available? Will he commission a study to obtain a general guide as to the extent of the present commitment?

Yes, Sir. I have, in fact, instituted recently at London Airport a new series of questions to try to determine how dependents are now arriving, related both to the work vouchers now being issued, to those issued since 1962 and those issued before 1962. It will be only by a process of extrapolation that I shall be able to make deductions from that.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman think that the figure is too high? What steps does he propose to take to reduce it?

That question has been debated many times. It is the policy of both sides that dependants should not be prevented from joining the breadwinner; and at present they are the overwhelming majority of people arriving here.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what suggestions he has received from police in the Metropolitan area regarding the installation of burglar alarms; and if he will make a statement;

The answer to each is "None, Sir"; but I understand that the British Standards Institution is preparing a standard for silent and audible alarms and the Home Office Standing Committee on Crime Prevention has also arranged for a study to be made of intruder alarms. The Metropolitan police are taking part in these studies, and full-time crime prevention officers in the force are available to advise users of alarms.

Would not my hon. Friend agree that his reply gives the impression that he is treating the matter a little lightheartedly? When he replied to a previous Question which I put to him, he said that in the Metropolitan area alone in two months there were about 10,500 false calls. Does not that show that the matter should be dealt with with a little more expedition than I gather is the case from what my hon. Friend said?

I agree that inevitably a high percentage of these alarm calls are false. I remind my hon. Friend that for more than four years the British Standards Institution has been working on intruder alarms in buildings. On 21st May of this year a B.S.I. technical committee, on which the police are represented, is expected to approve for publication a standard dealing with various matters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Mr. Masashi Nii, of Hiroshima, Japan, was subjected to personal abuse by immigration officers on his arrival in Dover from Ostend on 28th March.

My inquiries in no way confirm my hon. Friend's allegation.

Is my hon. Friend aware that Mr. Nii, who is a pacifist and an atomic bomb survivor from Hiroshima, was coming here to attend a non-violent annual demonstration by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament? Is my hon. Friend further aware that since that fact was known to the immigration officers at Dover they adopted an attitude of gross personal abuse towards Mr. Nii? Will my hon. Friend take steps to ensure that immigration officers at all points of arrival are told forthwith that their private personal views must in no way be allowed to interfere with the discharge of their duties?

My hon. Friend's allegations are quite unfounded—

They are not.

Mr. Nii arrived in the very early hours of the morning. He said that he wished to say here for three months. He had on him only a very limited amount of funds and it was necessary to make inquiries. He was admitted for a month—

There was personal abuse.

May I explain to my hon. Friend? After the few hours in which Mr. Nii had slept while waiting for a decision to be taken, as it was in the reasonably early hours, he expressed his appreciation to the immigration officers for the courtesy which had been shown to him.

Is it not unfortunate that unfounded remarks of this kind—

They are not unfounded.

—should be made by hon. Members, since they can do nothing but harm to the general position of the immigration authorities?

I naturally regret any allegations made against civil servants who are trying to do what is often a difficult job, and I am satisfied that, in the circumstances of this case, there was no reason for these allegations.

On a point of order. In view of the totally unsatisfactory nature of that reply, I give notice now that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to issue traffic wardens with a list of stolen vehicles in order to help the police in their recovery.

This is a matter for chief officers of police, but I understand that traffic wardens are commonly asked to look out for stolen vehicles of particular interest to the police.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that a car which had been stolen four months previously was recently found in, I think, Ovington Gardens with no fewer than seven parking tickets attached to it? Would it not greatly enhance the public image of traffic wardens if they could assist the police to trace stolen vehicles, and do it quickly?

The hon. Gentleman will be aware of the danger in logic or arguing from the particular to the general. There is no national list of vehicles reported stolen. If such a list were compiled, it would be a very long one and it would be impractical to issue it to each traffic warden. However, where vehicles connected with very serious crime are urgently required to be traced by the police, traffic wardens are called in to help.

Is my hon. Friend aware that it may be of some convenience to the owner who has had his car stolen to receive notice of where it had been parked?

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the result of his inquiry into the representations by immigration officers regarding difficulties experienced by them in the course of their duties.

The representations made by the immigration officers did not reveal any methods of evasion that were not already known. But they did highlight the tenacity of some of the would-be evaders and the difficulties which confront immigration officers in dealing with them. Nevertheless the immigration officers understand the need for the most scruplous fairness in dealing with would-be immigrants.

But when this incident occurred, was it not alleged against these immigration officers that they had behaved irregularly? What was the irregularity? If there was none, why was there such a fuss over it?

At the moment, a series of disciplinary charges are being investigated and I hope that the House will not press me on this matter, in which there is a regular, authorised and agreed procedure for dealing with disciplinary questions of this sort.

While accepting what the right hon. Gentleman said, may I ask whether he will give an undertaking that, as no State secrets were involved, no one will be punished for blurting out the truth? [HON. MEMBERS: "Disgraceful."]

The right hon. and learned Gentleman is asking me to do what I have already declined to do. Since there is at the moment a proper procedure for investigating disciplinary charges, it would be improper for me to say now either that people would be punished or that they would be exonerated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken by the Government, and will be taken, to give extra-economic aid to those areas of the country with a special immigrant problem.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is now being taken to give further aid to areas in Great Britain with a large immigrant population.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Government aid is given to local authorities with immigrant problems.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the new urban programme of Government expenditure to assist local authorities where the immigration problem is substantial; and if he will make a statement.

In addition to grants already payable, a sum amounting to nearly £1½ million has been paid out in advance of final claims for 1967–68 under Section 11 of the Local Government Act, 1966. As the House knows, the Government are urgently studying the programme of expenditure in urban areas of special need, including those which contain substantial numbers of immigrants. I will give further details when this study has been completed.

Will the right hon. Gentleman not undertake, in conjunction with other Ministerial colleagues, to draw up a five-year plan for aid to areas with a particular immigrant problem and publish it as a White Paper?

I will consider this, of course, but the inquiry is now in its early stages and I would prefer to maintain freedom of action as to the nature and form in which the results should be published.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many of us who deplore the incitement to hatred speech of the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell)—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]—he has some supporters over there—are well aware of the strains and difficulties in some of the overcrowded areas? Would he not agree that, apart from special aid, one of the most effective solutions in such areas would be a more even distribution of industry throughout the country, a policy, of course, which the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West seems to oppose?

As I have said in a previous Answer, it is employers, mainly, who begin the procedure by which immigrants go to particular areas for jobs. I agree that the important thing in this matter and the approach which I hope will be made to it is that no children, whether born in this country or arriving here, will be denied the right to education and schooling because of overcrowding in schools, or denied the right to homes. If we start looking at the problem from that end, the other parts will be made to fall into place.

Can my right hon. Friend say how much of the aid already allocated has reached the London Borough of Lambeth, bearing in mind that I introduced a deputation from the borough to the Colonial Office in 1955, pointing out the various steps which the Government at that time should take to deal with what has developed into a difficult problem?

The figure for Lambeth was published last week in HANSARD, but I regret to say that I do not carry it in my head.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that every day there is further evidence of the increasing problems in the reception areas, such as Birmingham? Will he bear this seriously in mind in determining the urgency of his review?

Certainly, Sir. I do not intend that this review should take months. Officials are working very rapidly. Each Department mainly concerned is working in association with the Home Office on this problem. Although I naturally would not give a guarantee, I hope to make a reasonably early report to the House.

Will my right hon. Friend recognise that good will, commonsense and tolerance are as valuable as money, and that no amount of money can undo the harm done by bigoted and prejudiced speeches by people who ought to know better?

There is a danger that this problem will get out of focus, and, as I study it closely, I see that, while there are great problems involved, the emotional overtones sometimes exaggerate those problems beyond their true merit.

Since the right hon. Gentleman accepts the principle that additional aid should be given to those areas which fall below certain standards due to the influx of immigrants, would he consider whether during the passage through the House of the Race Relations Bill he could not introduce some steps in it to help to meet the problem?

The problem of how, under the law, we treat immigrants who are living in this country, and, indeed, those of second and third generation of a particular colour, is not closely related to the short-term problem which I am now considering to see what extra financial assistance shall be given to these areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the amount paid last year to the County Borough of Wolverhampton under the scheme to financially assist local authorities with special immigrant problems.

Wolverhampton County Borough submitted a claim in respect of expenditure of £65,643 in 1967–68, of which 50 per cent. is reimbursable by Exchequer grant. Grant of £29,539 has so far been paid.

Would not the Under-Secretary admit that this is really inadequate for the needs of Wolverhampton? When the Home Office is looking at the whole question of this grant, will it be more realistic, since the hon. Gentleman will surely agree that the way to get rid of tension in these areas is to provide more houses and school places? Would he agree that the Government must give more help to areas with this problem?

To answer the first part of that supplementary question, I understand that the Wolverhampton Council—which, of course, decides on the extent of appointments to deal with this problem—has estimated that its expenditure in 1968–69 will be substantially higher, and in that case the grant from the Home Office will also be substantially higher. To answer the second part of the supplementary question, I assure the hon. Gentleman that in the study to which reference has already been made by my right hon. Friend any special needs will be given special consideration.

Would my hon. Friend agree that special aid should be given to areas with bad housing and educational problems irrespective of immigration and that immigrants should not be used as a scapegoat for social problems which have always existed?

That is absolutely right. In the urban programme referred to by the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary we are looking at special urban problems. In some cases these are areas with a substantial proportion of immigrants but this is not necessarily so, as my hon. Friend rightly points out.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will formulate an immi- gration policy for Great Britain which will cover both aliens and Commonwealth citizens.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the whole question of immigration policy with particular reference to the conditions under which aliens are admitted into this country.

There is a continuous review of all aspects of immigration policy, including the numbers admitted. The immigration of aliens and Commonwealth citizens follows different patterns and presents different problems, and at present separate methods of control are best.

As this distinction between Commonwealth citizens and aliens is rapidly becoming obsolete, will the right hon. Gentleman set up a study group to develop an overall immigration policy in accordance with our economic needs and social capabilities?

To answer the first part of that supplementary question, I would not agree with the hon. Gentleman. It seems to me that the problems of aliens coming from the Continent of Europe, which has a well developed industrial structure, are very different from the problems of would-be immigrants from the West Indies, for whom we have had responsibility for 300 years. It is for that reason, among others, that I think that the problem should be looked at separately.

In view of the popular misconception assiduously fostered by some hon. Gentlemen opposite, would my right hon. Friend confirm that more vouchers were granted to aliens last year and that more people left these shores than came in, so that this gives the lie to stories about an overcrowded island and open-ended commitments?

Work permits are issued on a different basis. A number are issued for a shortish period and therefore it is not possible to make the exact comparison which my hon. Friend would like me to make.

Will the right hon. Gentleman look again at the original Questions, which emanated one from the benches opposite and one from the Opposition? Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that the difficulty resides not in the different circumstances which may or may not exist between the developed and undeveloped countries but in the different status which different independent countries have for their citizens and the different codes applicable to people extrinsic to this country but occupying a different status, of which there are at least three between one another? Does he not see the advantage of amalgamating the different codes of law into one code which all people can understand?

I was careful in my reply to say that at present I think that separate methods of control are best. That is not to say, however, that that would be true for all time. I should be happy to see the problem examined on a rational and dispassionate basis to see whether a better basis could be devised.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given local police authorities in respect of the recruitment of police officers with previous criminal records.

None, Sir. The Police Regulations provide that a candidate must produce satisfactory references as to character. Subject to the Regulations, the selection of recruits is a matter for the chief officer of the force concerned.

Would my hon. Friend explain why, in the face of his Answer, an officer was appointed to the Sheffield and Rotherham Police Force who had previously served with the Huddersfield Police Force until he left after having been found guilty of assault? Is he aware that this officer is now in prison following a further conviction for assault?

I am aware of some of the facts referred to by my hon. Friend. In view of what he said about the imprisonment of this officer, I will investigate the matter most thoroughly and write to him.

Will the hon. Gentleman use what influence he may have in the Government to ensure that if a previous criminal conviction is a ban to entry into the police force, it should also be a ban to entry into the present Government?

I am not aware of the exact type of innuendo which the hon. Gentleman is pressing. The regulations do not specifically prohibit the engagement of a person as a police officer who has a criminal conviction. While a criminal conviction would tend to act against a candidate, other matters, such as the candidate's age and the nature of the offence, would be taken into account.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measuring instrument will be available to the police in connection with the new regulations that the tread on the tyres of motor vehicles should not be less than 1 millimetre thick.

Several different types of gauge are available. The exercise of choice between one type and another is a matter for police authorities and chief officers of police.

Would it not be better to have some uniformity in this matter so that the public might acquire one of these instruments and be able to test tyres themselves before going out in their motor cars?

No, Sir. [HON. MEMBERS: "Why not?"] I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman. The Home Office provides some equipment, such as radar meters and wireless sets, but the option is still with the forces to decide whether or not to obtain equipment from the Home Office or direct from the supplier. I am surprised that the hon. Gentleman is for once not pressing the case for private enterprise.

Is it not commonsense that there should be one instrument available for the public to use since the position at present is exceedingly confusing? Will my hon. Friend see that something is done about this, and rapidly?

The law must be applied in a uniform way. The police authorities decide what equipment to provide for their forces. The Secretary of State can intervene only if the scale, type or quality of the equipment is conducive to inefficiency or if he has special statutory powers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from chief constables on action being taken against the organisers of the traffic in illegal immigrants.

Chief officers of police are doing all they can, in co-operation with the immigration service, to enforce the law.

Is the Home Secretary aware that some people seem to be making a good deal of money out of this racket? Surely there is some evidence as to the people behind this racket and some steps could be taken to bring them to court?

If there is sufficient evidence to bring anyone to court it will of course be used, but a number of organisers of the traffic might be overseas and then the problem is not easy. We have to try to detect it at the ports. I assure the hon. Member that a lot of information recently published as disclosures is well known to those at the Home Office who are administering these controls and they have taken counteraction.

In the name of humanity, will the right hon. Gentleman undertake to introduce much tighter controls through the British diplomatic missions in other countries so that those who claim to be wives of immigrants and want to come here are not sent back?

Yes, I would not wish to see anyone embark to come to this country until it is clear that they will be admitted, but it cannot be enforced in other countries. The whole weight of our persuasive machinery is bent to achieve that, but we have no sovereign rights in other countries and we cannot prevent anyone leaving another country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider introducing legislation to enable illegal immigrants to be deported on the grounds of their illegal entry within a period of 12 months from their arrival in Great Britain.

The Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1968, strengthened the provision for dealing with illegal entry to this country. An illegal immigrant may be examined by an immigration officer at any time within 28 days of his entry and may then be refused admission. In addition, as explained in column 1658 of HANSARD for 28th February last, an illegal immigrant remains liable to prosecution for six months and, if convicted, to deportation.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is growing anxiety in this country about the reported increase in the number of illegal immigrants? Does he agree that it is in the best interests of persons legally resident in Britain that illegal immigrants should be deported as and where they are detected and regardless of nationality or such considerations as their colour?

My conclusion is that the anxiety, which is real, is greater than the evidence which exists. There are many allegations, but every one where there is evidence is followed up and appropriate action taken, and the law comes into force if it is necessary for action to be taken. If the hon. Gentleman has genuine evidence to offer me, I shall be very glad indeed to have it investigated.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many hon. Members on this side of the House and people in the country believe that although it is necessary perhaps to be strict about dependents coming in, nevertheless these regulations should be administered with a great deal of humanity? Is he aware that many of us find it extremely difficult to understand the blood lust which comes from some hon. Members opposite at the prospect of 14-year-old boys escaping the net?

There is, of course, a balance to be drawn here between observance of the law which Parliament has passed and the claims on our behaviour of human treatment in regard to individual citizens. I believe that the immigration officers of the Home Office are holding that balance as well as they can.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities will in future have sufficient trained staff with knowledge of the complicated civil defence communications equipment which is to be kept on a care and maintenance basis, and the experience and opportunities to train other people to help them to operate such equipment in an emergency.

Most of the line communications and much of the radio equipment for civil defence are similar to equipment in normal peace-time use. We are discussing with local authorities how knowledge and experience of communications as well as other civil defence matters can best be maintained.

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that on the funds at present proposed by the Government the equipment may not be kept ready for use in an emergency? Neither will there be experts to deal with it if an emergency comes. Will the hon. Gentleman have second thoughts about this?

I have explained to the House and to the right hon. and learned Gentleman the facilities which exist in the Home Office Defence Training School at Easingwold. In the courses we run there there will be opportunities for local government personnel to take part. These will include signals matters and the use of other equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in the light of the decision in the recent case of Warner versus Metropolitan Police Commissioner, he will introduce legislation to amend the law relating to the possession of dangerous drugs.

I am instituting, in conjunction with the Law Commission, a full examination of the law relating to possession of drugs. I shall consider the need for legislation when this review is complete and I have also received the report of the Advisory Committee on Drug Dependence on cannabis.

I am most grateful to the Home Secretary for that Answer. Will he bear in mind in making that inquiry that a great many hon. Members on both sides of the House deplore the introduction of criminal offences which are absolute in their terms and which lay people open to special penalty without even the necessity of proving that they know they are committing an offence?

It is because of my concern about what seems to have been happening recently that I decided that the time had come to make a review of this sort. I am grateful to the hon. Member for what he has said.

We welcome the review which the right hon. Gentleman has announced. Will he draw the attention of the Law Commission to the fact that this problem is not limited to drug offences but to a wide range of offences which purport to be absolute in other fields?

Yes, Sir. I am sure the Law Commission will take that into account. I am asking it specifically on the subject of drugs to work in conjunction with the Home Office, but I realise that the problem of absolute offences goes much wider.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the latest position on Rhodesia.

I have nothing to add to the Answers I gave to Questions on 9th May.—[Vol. 764, c. 614–5.]

Would not the Prime Minister agree that the recent statement by Smith that there can be no majority rule in Rhodesia for a hundred years makes a mockery of any proposals brought back from Rhodesia by the right hon. Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Sir Alec Douglas-Home)? In view of the continued fighting in Rhodesia, is not even the illegal régime's law and order now breaking down?

I have already commented in this House on the statement made by Mr. Smith in the Sunday Telegraph. It suggests, if we are to take those words at their face value, that he rejects the whole concept of the six principles on which not only Her Majesty's Government but the right hon. Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Sir Alec Douglas-Home) was insisting in his visit.

The Prime Minister will no doubt have seen reports in the Press today that Rhodesian citizens holding Rhodesian travel documents were issued with British passports enabling them to travel and train as terrorists. Will he inquire into this to see whether there is truth in it?

Yes, certainly. I have only the Press reports to guide me, but they are important and serious Press reports. They should be taken seriously, and they will be. On the information available—and this seems to be in the newspaper report itself—it seems that these were Rhodesian citizens who were allowed out of Rhodesia on the authority of the régime itself with documents issued by the régime, so presumably they thought there was nothing suspicious about them. It would seem that, as is usually the case, these post-U.D.I. passports were automatically exchanged for British passports at the High Commissions concerned, but certainly this will be inquired into very rigorously.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many distinguished and responsible heads of African States are being forced to the reluctant conclusion that the only remedy for tyranny and oppression of Africans in central Africa is becoming organised guerrilla warfare? Does he agree that unless this Government take more rigorous and definite steps to organise the international community to put down the Rhodesian re- bellion there will be a disastrous race war in Southern Africa?

It has been the position of most Heads of State, certainly of Commonwealth African countries from the beginning, that this problem could be solved only by the use of force by Her Majesty's Government. That has been their position and they have continually expressed it. As my hon. Friend knows, we do not share that view. It is not, I think, right to say that they themselves are in any way involved in internal fighting in Rhodesia. As to the last part of the question about organising the international community, I think my hon. Friend is aware of the resolution we have tabled at the United Nations Security Council.

In view of the Government's selection of Sir Frederick Crawford, Mr. Harper and others for oppressive and vindictive treatment, may I ask whether the Prime Minister realises that it is widely considered that to be on their black list will be a signal honour?

In the eyes of the hon. Member certainly, because he has consistently supported the illegal régime against the principles of the rule of law.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the departments of Housing, Education, Health and Social Security in the provision of services in Chelmsley Wood, in view of the special nature and record speed of this development.

The main responsibility for the provision of, and the co-ordination of, services at Chelmsley Wood rests with the Birmingham, Warwickshire and Meriden Councils. In so far as my right hon. Friends are concerned, for example through the giving of approval or loan sanction for certain services, they of course consult together and with the local authorities as necessary.

I thank the Prime Minister for that reply. Will he confirm that, in so far as the Government have a responsibility, the provision of essential supporting services such as schools, clinics, and open spaces will receive exactly the same priority as the large number of houses now being built?

I agree with the hon. Gentleman, who knows this area far better than I do, that there is a special difficulty here, namely, the building of a very large number of houses by Birmingham in the area of another council. I have the same experience in my own constituency. I know the very difficulty he has mentioned where houses are built but other services do not always keep up with the provision of the houses. My right hon. Friends will certainly cooperate in this matter, though the initiative lies with the councils concerned.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the necessary concomitant of the reorganisation of local government social services is the reorganisation of central government social service departments? When will the amalgamation of the Ministeries of Health and Social Security and other Ministries take place?

That is going forward, though, as my hon. Friend knows, we are waiting for the consideration which must be given to the Seebohm Report. In the case referred to in the original Question, it is more a matter of the co-ordination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Department of Education and Science, the Ministry of Transport and other Departments which are not involved in that particular merger. For the rest, my hon. Friend will be aware that we are awaiting the Report of the Royal Commission.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on his talks with representatives of the Nigerian Federal Government.

asked the Prime Minister what discussions he had with Dr. Arikpo, the representative of the Nigerian Federal Government, regarding the continuing supply of British arms.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement upon his discussions with Dr. Arikpo, representing the Federal Government of Nigeria, about future help in the matter of arms and ammunition.

The long and useful talks which my right hon. Friend the Commonwealth Secretary and I had with Dr. Arikpo on 24th April centred largely on the prospects for ending the war. Arms supplies were not discussed. In the course of the talks we once again stressed Her Majesty's Government's support for a negotiated settlement and for the earliest possible peace talks. The whole House will, I know, share my pleasure that the subsequent talks between representatives of the two sides, with the help of the Commonwealth Secretary-General, have been successful and that peace talks are to start soon.

I welcome the initiative taken by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. Does my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister accept that the most effective way of hastening a peace settlement in this area would be to curtail the supply of arms to one side in the struggle? Would he reconsider the Government's current policy in the light of these peace initiatives that are now being taken?

I think that we had better let the two sides now get on with the peace talks which, after enormous difficulty, but very much with our help, they have agreed should take place. There have been some very exaggerated accounts about our arms supplies. We have been held responsible for supplying aerial bombs, for example. We have supplied none.

Does not the Prime Minister agree that this war has now reached a level of brutality where the earliest possible cease-fire must be the overriding priority? What possible justification can there be for Britain to go on feeding arms into the war on the one hand when we are trying to stop it with the other?

The earliest possible cease-fire has been our aim from the beginning. Indeed, before the fighting broke out, we used all our influence, as did many other Commonwealth Governments, to prevent it from breaking out. Our supplying of arms has been limited to the normal arms we have supplied in the past to the Federal Government. Now that talks have started, I do not think that we could pursue this matter with any great hope of influencing the situation.

Has my right hon. Friend's attention been called to an article by Mr. Forsyth which appeared in the Sunday Times last Sunday? Will not my right hon. Friend think again about a moratorium, at least while the peace talks are going on in Kampala, because this would give Biafra the impression, which it does not have now, that we are as between the two sides impartial?

My hon. Friend will recognise the difficulties here, where there is a Federal Government and a break-away or attempted break-away, or purported break-away, by one part of it. We have had very great difficulties in handling this situation, but we have encouraged at all points the Secretary-General to pursue his peace-making activities; and in my own talks with Dr. Arikpo we very strongly pressed him to make it clear—there had been some public doubt about this—that he was willing to go to the conference table. Now they are going.

Is the Prime Minister aware that the whole House hopes that these talks will bring to an end this tragic war with a member State of the Commonwealth? Can he tell the House whether arms are still being supplied to one side in this civil war, or whether it is the intention of the Government to supply them? Since one of the fundamental concepts of the modern Commonwealth is that we do not interfere in the internal affairs of other sovereign members of the Commonwealth, what possible justification is there for supplying arms to one side in a civil war?

The position about arms supplies is exactly as I and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State have described it on a number of occasions. We have continued the supply—not the Government; I mean that we have allowed the continuance of supply of aims by private manufacturers in this country exactly on the basis that it has been in the past, but there has been no special provision for the needs of the war. As I have said, we have refused to supply arms of a kind, such as bombs and other things which we were asked for, which were required, or considered to, be required, for this war.

May I, while congratulating my right hon. Friend on his efforts to bring the war to an end, ask him to recall that in similar disputes in the past and in similar situations the stoppage of arms has sometimes proved decisive in favour of peace?

Yes, Sir, but not always in the case where there is a Commonwealth Government whom we recognise and where there is an attempted break-away or civil war within the jurisdiction of that Government whom we recognise. [Interruption.] This is too serious a matter, even for the hon. Gentleman's misplaced sense of humour. We have been consistent throughout in trying to get these two parties to the conference table. The supply of arms, including some much more devastating arms than the type we have been supplying, has been going on to both sides from a large number of countries and Governments. We have had no part in that.

Has not this war now reached the stage of genocide? Does not the Prime Minister agree that it would further the cause of peace and serve this country's best interests if Her Majesty's Government were to have nothing more to do with the supply of any arms?

If we had taken that view, it would have been taking sides in that particular dispute. Certainly I agree with the hon. Gentleman that this war has reached a state of great brutality, as modern warfare always does. That is why, both in our arms policy and in other ways, we have sought to use all our influence to bring the two sides to the conference table, and particularly to use our influence against any danger that following a settlement there might be tribal disturbances, tribal massacres, or anything of that kind. I am sure that it would be the view of the whole House that this is what we should be doing.

If Her Majesty's Government are not prepared to stop the supply of arms to the Federal Government immediately, would they be prepared to take an initiative to try to get a scaling down of the supply of arms to both sides from all sources, now that we know that the talks are to start? We all welcome the fact that talks are to start.

I agree with the Leader of the Opposition about welcoming the talks. We have tried to get a stoppage of arms supplies on a much wider scale. One of the difficulties here is that it is not only a question of governmental controls. A great deal of private traffic in second-hand arms has been going on, with a lot of money changing hands. The right hon. Gentleman will know that some well-known international mecenaries have been involved in this fighting as well. It would be practically impossible to stop this by any kind of international inter-governmental action. We have used our position, including our arms supply, to try to bring the two sides to the conference table.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that one of the major difficulties in bringing this civil war to an end is the fear of the Ibo people, not without some reason, that the policy of the Federal Government is to destroy them as a people? Will my right hon. Friend seek to influence the Federal Government to make a very firm statement that there is a place for the Ibo people in Nigeria?

Yes; my right hon. Friend is absolutely right in what he is asking about. I obviously have to choose my words rather carefully here, because getting the two sides to the conference table has been very difficult. That was what I had in mind in answering the question asked by the hon. Member for Bournemouth, West (Sir J. Eden). As I have said, there is a fear of a massacre, even after fighting officially ceases. We have used our influence in many directions to ensure that that danger is reduced to nil. I was extremely reassured by what Dr. Arikpo said to me on this whole question and by the forthcoming attitude of the Federal Government to the idea of talks. That is why we are glad that following the statement here which Dr. Arikpo made after talks with me, the two sides are now to go to the conference table in Kampala.

May I press the Prime Minister further? In reply to me he said that private firms were being allowed to continue to supply arms on the usual terms, and that this process had done something to bring the parties to the conference table. Is not he aware that there is a totally new situation, that there is a civil war in which Nigerians are shooting Nigerians, and one side happens to be supplied with British arms? Surely, this is making it more difficult for us to take an initiative in settling peace and intervening in the internal affars of Nigeria?

The right hon. Gentleman's understandable heat does not correspond with the facts of what we have been doing to get the parties together. As I have said, the position is that arms contracts have been placed in the past by the Government of Nigeria, and arms have been continuing to be supplied by some of our manufacturers. I do not think that the right hon. Gentleman wants to query the fact that this is the Government of Nigeria, and that arms are being supplied by all kinds of countries on both sides of the Iron Curtain to both sides. We have confined our supplies to the traditional arms supplies which would have been bought elsewhere if we had not supplied them, and we have in consequence been able to exert some influence on the road to the peace talks because of what we have done.

Is my right hon. Friend aware of the reports that indicate that the Nigerian Federal Army has ceased to be under the control of the Nigerian Federal Government, that it is ignoring its orders and is involved in what has been referred to as open genocide of the Ibos? In those circumstances, is not this the moment to try to initiate international action to stop this?

In this kind of war and in this kind of territory, I am afraid that there is always the possibility that my hon. and learned Friend has mentioned, that orders of the responsible Government are not fully carried out. It was our concern about this, about possible massacres, about possible genocide, which led to some of the talks and some of the representations we have made. I want to make it quite clear to my hon. and learned Friend that any change in our policy of arms supply, which has been on a very restrictive scale, would have done nothing either to bring the parties to the conference table or to stop the kind of indiscipline on both sides to which he refers.