§ 27. Mr. J. HARRISasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is yet in a position to say whether the reports from units of the Navy upon their efforts to put down slave traffic in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf will be made public?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Mr. Ammon)It has been decided not to make these reports public as, apart from information regarding actual captures which has already been given, they contain nothing of general interest and give particulars of places visited and waters actually patrolled which it is not considered desirable to make public.
§ Mr. HARRISIf there is nothing of general interest, there may be of very particular and important interest to certain of our British Dependencies that are affected by this traffic. I would, there fore, ask the hon. Gentleman whether it is not the case that previous Governments have always published this information, and that a committee has been set up to deal with it by the League of Nations, and why cannot the House have this information?
§ Mr. AMMONPrevious Governments have given no more information than has been given on this occasion. As to the particular point, may I direct the attention of the hon. Gentleman to my answer, that it is not desirable, for various reasons, to go into the matter.
§ Mr. HARRISMay I appeal to the hon. Gentleman to promise to reconsider his decision.