HC Deb 20 May 1958 vol 588 cc1085-6
21. Mrs. Castle

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is yet in a position to report on his discussions with the Governor of Northern Rhodesia over the segregation of European and African witnesses in the High Court at Lusaka.

Mr. Profumo

As my right hon. Friend informed the hon. Lady in his letter of 19th May, he has now heard from the Governor that all the four waiting rooms in the High Court building are available to witnesses without any distinction of race.

Mrs. Castle

While asking the hon. Gentleman to thank the Colonial Secretary for the steps he has taken to remedy the situation, which has been remedied solely as a result of my putting down this Question, as the Colonial Secretary's letter to me explicitly explained and which I am sure the hon. Gentleman will agree to be the case, may I ask him whether he considers that this is the sort of situation which the Race Relations Committee in Lusaka ought to be preventing? Will he arrange that in future plans of public buildings should be submitted to the Race Relations Committee in order to prevent these unfortunate incidents of segregation of people?

Mr. Profumo

No, Sir. There was no discrimination about this. My right hon. Friend's letter was written to the hon. Lady to spare her the embarrassment of asking a socially difficult question about lavatories, and if the hon. Lady really believes that there was discrimination and that this was not merely a human problem, she has misunderstood my right hon. Friend's letter.