§ 2.41 p.m.
§ Lord AVEBURYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the Instrument No. 27 dated 20th July 1972 made by the former Lord Chancellor under Section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958, providing that documents described as "Interned Persons: Registered Papers" should not be available for public inspection for 75 years from their date of creation.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Harris of Greenwich)My Lords, it is not the Government's intention to review the Instrument in question so as to allow access to these documents.
§ Lord AVEBURYBut, my Lords, is it not a particularly ludicrous example of the Government's policy of official secrecy to maintain confidentiality for 75 years on all these records of interned persons, which date right back to the beginning of the first war? Will not the Government 550 seriously reconsider this matter, particularly in the light of the forthcoming introduction of a Bill by my honourable friend the Member for the Isle of Ely to review the Official Secrets Act?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHNo, my Lords, I do not think it is ludicrous at all. This decision was taken by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Hailsham, when he was Lord Chancellor. It is our view that the noble and learned Lord was absolutely right in the decision which he took. There is also a right of privacy in this country, and I think that is a matter which we should also take very seriously into account.
§ Lord HAILSHAM of SAINT MARY-LEBONEMy Lords, while welcoming that unsolicited testimonial, may I ask the noble Lord, with whom I am very happy to agree on this occasion, whether it is not the fact that a great deal of hurt could be done to individuals by the publication of the material in this particular category, and that some regard must be had for the feelings of the persons concerned and their relatives?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, I entirely share that view.
§ Lord AVEBURYMy Lords, is the Minister aware that a distinguished Australian writer, Mr. Cyril Pearl, has been applying to the Home Office for access to the records of the commandeered troopship HMS "Dunera", which was used to take internees from England to Australia during the last war; that Mr. Pearl has been in touch with a great many of the internees who were passengers on this troopship; and that none of them has any objection whatsoever to information about their presence on the troopship being revealed? In view of the fact that Mr. Pearl is a serious writer, can he not be given access to these documents?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHNo, my Lords, I do not think he should be. The fact is that if some internee wishes to come forward and vouchsafe some information to Mr. Pearl, there is no objection at all to his making any information available. The point is that, as the noble and learned Lord, Lord Hailsham, has rightly pointed out, a very large number of people would object very strongly to 551 the publication of this information, and we are quite resolved that we are not going to agree to it.