§ Captain WARINGasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) if he will state whether a British naval force has been despatched to the Persian Gulf to deal with a trade in arms by sea between Arabia or elsewhere and the coasts of Persia or of Baluchistan; if so, is that force instructed to deal with the trade by exercising in time of peace the rights of war, including the visit, search, and capture of vessels and property belonging to friendly states; and, if so, will such vessels and property be submitted to the judgment of any prize court 1564 to decide whether they are good prizes or not, and (2) if he will state whether His Majesty's Government consulted the Law Officers of the Crown as to whether it is lawful to exercise during a time of peace acts of hostility, including the visit, search, and capture of vessels and property belonging to friendly states adjacent to the Persian Gulf.
The UNDER-SECRETARY for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. McKinnon Wood)The importation of arms has been prohibited by various States bordering on the Persian Gulf, and it is under authority given to His Majesty's Government by those States that British ships are acting. There is no question of exercising rights of war or acts of hostility during a time of peace, and there is therefore no case for submission to a prize court or for reference to the law officers.