§ 23. Mr. BUTCHERasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that, under No. 14 of the Defence of the Realm Consolidation Regulations, 1914, the competent military authority has power to make an order prohibiting any person suspected of acting or having acted or being about to act in a manner prejudicial to the public safety or the defence of the realm from residing in any area specified in the order; whether, after the naval raid on Scarborough, orders were made by the competent military authority for that district, in pursuance of Regulation No. 14, prohibiting various persons, chiefly aliens, naturalised or otherwise, from residing within a certain distance from the East Coast; whether a letter was thereupon written by the Home Office to the War Office suggesting that such orders were invalid and ultra vires; whether such letter was written by the Home Office without having seen any copy of the orders in question thereof except such notice as had appeared in the public Press and without any request on the part of the War Office for the advice of the Home Office; and whether after the receipt of such letter by the War Office the orders were suspended and remain still suspended?
§ Mr. TENNANTThe answer to the first two parts of the question is in the affirmative. The attention of the War Office was drawn by the Home Office to the newspaper reports about removal of aliens consequent on the Scarborough raid, but the War Office had already on learning that a large number of removals had been made, telegraphed to the military authorities to suspend action, if the orders had not been made in accordance with the special instructions which had been issued from the War Office just previously to the raid. These instructions were not in the hands of the military authorities when the orders were issued, and action was accordingly suspended and the various orders were then reviewed in the light of the instructions. The Home Office wrote to the War Office because the newspaper reports gave the impression that the removals were not in accordance 225 with the Defence of the Realm Regulations. The Home Office had not seen copies of the orders, but as complaints were being received from persons who attributed the orders to the Home Office, they brought the matter to the notice of the Department which was competent to deal with it.
§ Mr. BUTCHERWas the letter of the Home Office written on the request of the War Office or on their own initiative?
§ Mr. TENNANTIt was not a question for the War Office.
Sir H. DALZIELDo I understand from the right hon. Gentleman's reply that the local military authority was superseded, as it were, by the War Office in regard to this matter?
§ Mr. TENNANTThe local military authority is, of course, always under the War Office. The local authority sent these orders for confirmation by the War Office. When we informed them that we thought the orders were not in accordance with the Defence of the Realm Regulation, they were suspended in order that inquiries should be made.
§ Mr. BUTCHERWas the Home Office letter written before or after the action taken by the War Office in London?
§ Mr. TENNANTAfter.
§ Mr. BUTCHERMay we have a copy of the Home Office letter?
§ Mr. TENNANTThat had better be left to my right hon. Friend.