§ 5. Mr. Pitmanasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when he intends to propose in the United Nations that a special commission be established alongside of, or as part of, the Disarmament Special Commission to study the transference of armaments to a world security authority, with a view to supervised and controlled total comprehensive disarmament, in view of the Government's suggestions in that respect.
§ 6. Mr. E. L. Mallalieuasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will take steps to sound opinion abroad with a view to implementing the suggestion of a world security authority with an international inspectorate backed by an international police force.
§ 12. Mr. Usborneasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement about the proposals recently made by Her Majesty's Government that 1301 a world security authority should be created by the United Nations to enable complete disarmament to be enforced.
§ Mr. Selwyn LloydMy right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence did not make any proposals. He suggested that we should think again about the feasibility of achieving comprehensive disarmament in a single step after due preparation. He examined what such an approach might involve. As my right hon. Friend also indicated, Her Majesty's Government's policy is to support the plan approved by the United Nations by 56 votes to 9 last autumn. That is not inconsistent with further thought being given to the feasibility of securing agreement on a more comprehensive plan. I am considering the suggestions made by my hon. Friend the Member for Bath (Mr. Pitman) and the hon. and learned Member for Brigg (Mr. E. L. Mallalieu).
§ Mr. PitmanMay I thank my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Minister very much and warmly welcome the suggestion that Ministers of other nations besides our own defence Minister should begin to think in terms of this novel and potentially fruitful idea?
§ Mr. MallalieuIs the Foreign Secretary aware of the very great encouragement which the statement of his right hon. Friend gave the other day to many of us who think that a world security authority offers the best hope of securing world peace, and will he press on in this direction and assure us that the whole Government will be behind him if he does?
§ Mr. LloydI am very much obliged to my hon. Friend the Member for Bath (Mr. Pitman) and to the hon. and learned Member for Brigg (Mr. E. L. Mallalieu) for what they have just said. My position is that it is certainly a matter to which further thought should be given, but, as my right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence was careful to point out, he was not making actual proposals. I think that would be premature.
§ Mr. BevanIs the Foreign Secretary aware that most of us on this side of the House regarded the statement as a vague adumbration, neither precise nor novel?
§ Mr. LloydThe right hon. Gentleman says that, but of course the statements are completely consistent with the Anglo-French plan of 1954.
§ Mr. UsborneIf we are ultimately to get a paramount world authority, which I think everybody desires—[HON. MEMBERS: No."]—is it not probable that it will have to evolve, and would it not be a good idea if the present United Nations Emergency Force could be progressively replaced by a directly recruited United Nations constabulary? Would that not be a definite step in the right direction?
§ Mr. LloydI certainly agree with the hon. Member that this concept would have to evolve. The rest of his supplementary question is the subject matter of the next Question on the Order Paper.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerSince over the last eighteen months Her Majesty's Government have been saying in general terms that the United Nations should have some form of international force, will they propose at the forthcoming Assembly of the United Nations that a committee should be set up to study this matter in detail and to make proposals?
§ Mr. LloydThe right hon. Gentleman did not hear what I just said. That is the subject matter of the next Question on the Order Paper.