§ 21. Mr. Turtonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why, in view of his decision to terminate Mr. John Stevenson's appointment as senior prosecutor for the Control Commission for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein on the ground that there was no provision in the Control Commission for Germany establishment for 1951 for a senior legal assistant as senior prosecutor for this area he has now appointed Mr. John Ticehurst as senior legal assistant to carry out such duties.
§ Mr. Ernest DaviesMr. Stevenson's services terminated when his fixed term engagement expired in September last. Mr. Ticehurst's engagement does not expire until August of this year. With a decrease in prosecuting work in the Control Commission courts a reduction has been made in the number of senior legal assistants in the legal adviser's office, Mr. Ticehurst deals with prosecutions in Land Niedersachsen in addition to Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.
§ Mr. TurtonWould the Minister answer the Question I have put on the Order Paper: whether there is a provision in the establishment for a senior legal assistant prosecutor at Hamburg, for that is the reason Mr. Stevenson's services were dispensed with?
§ Mr. DaviesA number of organisational changes have recently taken place in the legal department of the Control Commission. In that reorganisation the work previously done in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein has been taken over by Mr. Ticehurst, who was already doing the work in other areas. This is an economy and our object is to reduce expenditure in Germany as far as we can.
§ Mr. TurtonIs not the real reason for the change of Mr. Stevenson not a question of redundancy but that he dared to criticise the fact that high ranking officials at the Control Commission were not being prosecuted for very serious offences?
§ Mr. DaviesNo, Sir. The hon. Gentleman has no right to make those accusations in the House.
§ Mr. TurtonI beg to give notice that I will raise this matter on the Adjournment on the earliest possible opportunity.