§ 34. Brigadier-General Spearsasked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to a case in which a fine was imposed under the Official Secrets Act on an individual who gave a false name in making use of an accommodation address; and, in view of this further example of the manner in which the Act is being used in a way not contemplated by Parliament, whether he will consider introducing amending legislation at an early date?
§ Sir S. HoareSection 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1920, provides for the registration and regulation of persons 3283 carrying on the business of receiving postal packets, and inter alia makes it an offence for a person making use of an accommodation address to furnish false information to the person who carries on that business. The suggestion that a prosecution under this section is a use of the Act in a way not contemplated by Parliament appears to be due to some misapprehension. The section quite clearly contemplates that persons using an accommodation address must supply their true names and addresses.