§ 1. Mr. LANSBURYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will state the number of persons who, during the past six months, have been arrested and charged with political offences by the British authorities in the Sudan; what number of persons have been expelled from the Sudan and the nature of their offences; whether any of these persons were State officials; were they allowed any opportunity to appear before a court of discipline or law; and will he publish the names of all officials expelled or in prison, and the nature of the offences charged against them?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Austen Chamberlain)I apologise if I am rather indistinct; I will do my best to make myself heard. Ninety-four persons were arrested and charged with offences under the laws of the Sudan since, and in connection with, the disturbances in August last. During the same period 125 persons, almost all employés of the Sudan Government, were repatriated to Egypt because their presence in the Sudan was a danger to public security. The officials in ques- 2241 tion were discharged in accordance with their terms of service, and they received the pensions or gratuities to which they would have been entitled had their retirement been due to ill-health and which they would have lost on conviction by a Court of law or discipline. I have not the information asked for in the last part of the question.