§ Q4. Mr. Donnellyasked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the security issues involved, he will set up a committee of privy councillors to inquire into the circumstances whereby Mr. Guy Burgess and Mr. Donald Maclean were designated in 1957 and 1958, respectively, as non-resident British subjects.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir.
§ Mr. DonnellyIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that, notwithstanding the principle that everybody is innocent until he is proved guilty, common sense must be applied on certain occasions? It may be that the Government have not got common sense. But against the background of the extraordinary performance of the Attorney-General and the strange answers given from the Treasury Bench, how is the right hon. Gentleman, without this kind of inquiry, going to convince public opinion that in some strange way these two gentlemen are not being protected by the right hon. Gentleman's party?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Member may make whatever innuendoes he likes; the fact is that these two men are undoubtedly non-residents. That is a matter of fact; it is not a privilege given by the Treasury. The only question—and I admit that it is a question 1146 of judgment—is whether machinery which is intended to maintain the strength of sterling, and which nowadays is used loosely though carefully, should be used for another purpose, namely, to punish men of whom we do not approve. It is a matter of judgment. I do not think that it is right to use for this purpose machinery devised for another purpose.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanWill the right hon. Gentleman apply his principle of factual non-residence to every fugitive offender from this country? Does he realise that the effect of allowing these moneys to be paid in these circumstances is exactly in line with the effect of the Attorney-General's belated application for warrants the other day—namely, to keep them non-resident?
§ The Prime MinisterI quite see that a matter of judgment and perhaps a matter of feeling is involved as to what is the right course to adopt. It would be easy to act the other way. But knowing the hon. Member's general attitude towards these matters I should have thought that, on the whole, he would have been in favour of not using these regulations in a penal way in respect of people who have not been tried.
§ Mr. DonnellyOn a point of order. In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the Prime Minister's Answer, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment.