Miss Eileen Fletcher (Allegations) (Hansard, 31 October 1956)

§ 5. Mr. Fenner Brockway
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the Government of Kenya have yet completed their investigations into the detailed charges made by Miss Eileen Fletcher regarding the condition of women and children in prisons and detention camps.

§ 8. Sir F. Medlicott
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on his investigations arising 1419 from the allegations of Miss Eileen Fletcher concerning conditions in prisons and detention camps in Kenya.

§ 32. Mr. J. E. B. Hill
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on his investigations made as a result of charges brought by Miss Eileen Fletcher regarding the administration in Kenya.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
Copies of a second memorandum setting out the results of complete investigation of Miss Fletcher's published allegations, and those parts of her Statutory Declaration which were not covered in the first memorandum, were placed in the Library on 29th October.

§ Mr. Brockway
In thanking the right hon. Gentleman, may I ask him whether he remembers that Miss Fletcher's main charge was that children under 14 were in prison in Kenya? Is it not the case that the statement is made—I am reading from the memorandum— A person under the age of 14 convicted of a capital charge must be sentenced to be detained during the Governor's pleasure and may be held on the Governor's direction in prison"? Does that statement not justify Miss Eileen Fletcher's charges on this matter, and will the right hon. Gentleman put this matter right?

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
It certainly does nothing of the sort. I am quite satisfied that Miss Fletcher's charges are based in the main on hearsay, on partisan opinion and personal prejudice. The negligible amount of criticism which could be levelled has proved to be wholly disproportionate to the impression that she has contrived to create. I would ask all fair-minded people to read carefully the documents in the Library of this House and to make up their own minds.

§ Sir F. Medlicott
As allegations of this kind so often prove to be exaggerated and do a great deal of harm to this country, would it not be possible for my right hon. Friend's Department to issue in a more popular form some factual statement, so that the true facts shall be known?

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
It is always very difficult to catch up on a series of fresh lies or distortions. [HON. MEMBERS : "Oh."] The word is wholly justified. I am satisfied that any fair-minded person 1420 reading the two memoranda in the Library and realising the painstaking way in which, with the Government of Kenya, my officers have investigated these charges, will not think my language exaggerated.

§ Mr. Bevan
Is not that a most monstrous statement to make, to accuse a person of telling lies—[Laughter.]—a person who is very respected indeed? Is it not the fact that both the Government of Kenya and the right hon. Gentleman are now seeking to be judges in their own cause? Accusations have been made against the Administration there ; is it not a fact that no one can have any confidence in what the right hon. Gentleman says unless he allows an impartial investigation to take place into the allegations? So far, all he has said is that he is satisfied, and he is satisfied, but we are not satisfied.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
These are very serious matters. [HON. MEMBERS : "Hear, hear."] I would like to ask the right hon. Member, in all seriousness : has he read every word of the two memoranda and checked them with Miss Fletcher's charges?

§ Mr. Bevan
That is not the point. In my answer I could ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he has read them. I am pretty certain he has not. What we want to know is : as charges of the gravest possible kind have been made against the administration of justice in Kenya and against the prison administration, is it not the right hon. Gentleman's proper course now to justify his own charges by having an investigation into the whole case, and not call people "liars" in the way he has?

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
No, Sir. I think my suggestion to the right hon. Gentleman that he might read the facts can and should be followed up by asking him to read also the Heaton Report on the Kenya prison administration, which is already available, and all of which ought to be read by anybody purporting to be a responsible person?

§ Mr. S. Silverman
On a point of order. Has it not been held for very many years, if not for generations, in the House of Commons that the use of the words "lie" or "liar" in our discussions is out of order? Is not the reason for that 1421 sound rule that once a Minister charges somebody else with lying or with being a liar he would not be immune from a countercharge in the same terms?

§ Mr. Speaker
Such a word is out of order if used by an hon. Member about another hon. Member, but I have never heard it extended to people outside.

§ Mr. Bevan
Further to that point of order. On your Ruling, Mr. Speaker, it is not out of order for a Minister to describe somebody outside the House as a liar. It is merely cowardly.

§ Mr. Hill
As this lady has been repeating her charges and allegations in public lectures, including a lecture to the Norfolk Workers' Educational Association, would my right hon. Friend consider publishing in a popular form the results of his investigation and of any further investigations that may be necessary so that they may be readily available to correct the balance of instruction which may go forward to audiences who have no facilities for listening to our debates in detail or of seeing the papers in our Library?

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
I will certainly consider my hon. Friend's suggestion. I also suggest to all hon. Members on both sides of the House who may get letters about these reiterated and, I repeat, monstrously untrue charges, that they should send copies of my memoranda to all who write to them. I am glad to know that with the vast majority of correspondents with my Department this treatment has proved extremely salutary.