HL Deb 20 July 1959 vol 218 cc169-71
VISCOUNT STANSGATE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will state the circumstances in which an order was served on Mr. Chiume banning him from Northern Rhodesia; on whose responsibility the order was made; whether the British police were used in the service of the order, and under whose direction they were acting.]

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COLONIAL AFFAIRS (THE EARL OF PERTH)

My Lords, the Governor of Northern Rhodesia has made an order under Section 7 of the Northern Rhodesia Inter-Territorial Movement of Persons (Control) Ordinance prohibiting Mr. Chiume, who is a Nyasalander, from entering Northern Rhodesia. The High Commissioner for the Federation in London received a request to serve the order upon Mr. Chiume. This was done by two officials of his office. The British police were not involved.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

My Lords, I am grateful for that reply. May I ask this question in a general way, in preparation perhaps for a debate later? What is the position in regard to Mr. Chiume? The gravest charges were made against him about four months ago. He has no redress. The charges were made under cover of Parliamentary privilege. He cannot bring an action. Is it just that the situation should remain as it is?

THE EARL, OF PERTH

My Lords, as the noble Viscount says, we are very shortly going to receive a Report from the Devlin Commission on the question of Nyasaland generally, and maybe something of this business will be said in that Report, so I think that it would be appropriate to leave the matter for the time being.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

My Lords, does the noble Earl say that we have to wait for the Devlin Report before we can justify the charges which were made publicly, in a Parliamentary Paper, against this young man?

THE EARL OF PERTH

My Lords, I think that the Answer to that question is that if Mr. Chiume wants to raise this matter, he may; but so far as I am concerned, I will wait until the Report comes out.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

My Lords, that is all very well. The noble Earl says that if Mr. Chiume wants to raise the matter, he may. If the statement had appeared in a newspaper, he would have raised the matter and possibly would have secured substantial damages—I do not know. But he cannot raise the matter because it is under cover of Parliamentary privilege. The Government issued a statement and, moreover, pursues Mr. Chiume with prohibition orders without justifying them or giving him any opportunity to justify himself.

LORD TEVIOT

My Lords, no doubt there are other noble Lords who will remember that Mr. Chiume said in the Panorama programme of the B.B.C. that the Colonial Secretary, Mr. Alan Lennox Boyd, and Sir Roy Welensky were both liars. Everybody knows that he said that. I heard it myself. Therefore I do not think that he has much grievance, whatever the noble Viscount may say. If Mr. Chiume says that about Ministers of the Crown, I think he deserves all that he is getting.

VISCOUNT STANSGATE

I do not know whether the noble Lord has given a correct account of British law, but, if so, I am afraid that a number of persons might come under suspicion.