59. Mr. DOYLEasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the report of a lecture delivered in Rome by the Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, to the effect that Roman Catholics in Palestine no longer enjoy the privilege of having their own tribunals, and that the administration of justice is partial; and will he have this question inquired into?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Edward Wood)Yes, Sir, I have read with some surprise a copy of the report, referred to, which contains several statements which I can only presume were incorrectly reported. The suggestion that any privilege enjoyed by Roman Catholics in Palestine has been suspended or interfered with is, of course, totally without foundation. It is true that the necessity for European subjects, whether Roman Catholic or not, to have recourse to their own Consular Courts on civil matter no longer exists under a British administration and it is proposed that this fact shall be explicitly stated in the Mandate for Palestine. I am not aware upon what ground the allegation was made, if indeed it was made, that the administration of justice in Palestine is partial. It is absolutely untrue.