§ Mrs. Braddock(by Private Notice) asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department who was responsible for ordering the arrest of Mr. Yuan Lau, of 7, Paddington, Liverpool, on Saturday morning, who was, at the request of the hon. Member for Liverpool, Exchange, consequent upon consultations with the Home Office upon Thursday, 29th June, 1961, attending the hon. Member at her office.
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Mr. David Renton)From what I have so far been able to find out, it looks as though the apparent discourtesy to the hon. Member, which I sincerely regret, was due to a misunderstanding between the Immigration Service and the Liverpool City Police, who, in pursuance of the authority of an immigration officer given under Articles 8 (4) and 9 (1, b) of the Aliens Order, detained Yuen Lau pending his repatriation.
I hope that the hon. Member will accept my apologies.
§ Mrs. BraddockIs not the Minister aware that nobody but those in his own Department knew that this gentleman was to see me on Saturday morning; and that some information must have been given by someone in his immigration department to the immigration office in Liverpool which led it to give instructions to the police to arrest this man?
Is the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that this man was arrested 1006 on the steps of my office, that I take very strong exception to it, indeed, and that I want an apology in writing both for myself as a Member of Parliament and for the man who was arrested? I may add that I got the man out, because I gave instructions that he had to come out of the cell.
§ Mr. RentonI well understand the hon. Lady's feelings in this matter. I have full sympathy with her, and I have offered my apologies to her. It is true that the man was released as soon as the hon. Lady pointed out to the police that he was arrested when going to see her. Fortunately, he was released in time to see her at the session that morning when she was seeing constituents and others, and is still at large.