HC Deb 12 June 1967 vol 748 cc89-90
42. Mr. Winnick

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what further proposal he has made to the Russian authorities over the Gerald Brooke case.

Mr. William Rodgers

My right hon. Friend pressed the Soviet Government very hard about Mr. Brooke during his visit to Moscow, but I regret that there was no change in the Soviet position.

Mr. Winnick

The House will be pleased with what my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has done, but are the Russians aware of the feelings of right hon. and hon. Members on this issue? Do they appreciate that in a Parliamentary democracy like ours it is not unusual to be concerned about a single individual, even if he is, perhaps, a misguided individual?

Mr. Rodgers

I am sure that the Russians will be aware and will be made more aware by the interest taken by my hon. Friend.

Sir Alec Douglas-Home

Does the hon. Gentleman realise that this is really most uncivilised behaviour on the part of the Russian Government, that it is a very serious matter of which the House should take note? How often has Mr. Brooke been visited by the Consul? Is it the case that he has been visited only once in nine months or once a year?

Mr. Rodgers

Mr. Brooke was last seen by the Consul in December. We have left the Russians in no doubt about the serious view we take about this and, of course, we are anxious that he should be seen as often as possible. It is right that the House should express its view in these terms, and we shall certainly convey them to the Soviet authorities.

Mr. A. Royle

What action does the hon. Gentleman propose to take now? Is he aware that when the Foreign Secretary returned from Moscow after his last visit he indicated to the House that he had succeeded in obtaining some sort of relaxation in the conditions under which Mr. Brooke was living? What action has been taken—none?

Mr. Rodgers

There was some relaxation, as my right hon. Friend told the House. [HON. MEMBERS: "What?"] The question relates to what happened on my right hon. Friend's recent visit. We are still pressing very hard and will do all we possibly can to make sure that Mr. Brooke's conditions are improved, but at the end of the day as long as he is held by the Soviet authorities the most we can do is to make representations and convey to the Soviet Government how seriously we regard his detention and its circumstances.

Sir R. Cary

Without straining Russian prison regulations too much, is Mr. Brooke being allowed to receive a limited number of parcels?

Mr. Rodgers

Yes, Sir.