§ 2.25 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, with permission, I should like to ask the Question of which I have given Private Notice to the noble Earl the Leader of the House: Whether he is able to make any further statement with regard to the position of the Bishop of Johannesburg?
THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS (THE EARL OF HOME)My Lords, I will give the noble Viscount an Answer without any figures. As I said in reply to the noble Viscount, Lord Alexander of Hillsborough, on Tuesday, I was making further inquiries of the High Commissioner in South Africa about the Anglican Bishop of Johannesburg. I have since had a further report from the High Commissioner. He has received a request from the Bishop to find out from the Union Government what his position will be under the emergency regulations if he returns to the Union from Swaziland. The High Commissioner is thus in touch with the Bishop and has approached the Union Government for information which he believes may assist the Bishop in determining his future course of action. I hope that I may not be pressed to say more at the moment, as such approaches have a better chance of being successful if they are conducted confidentially.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I am very much obliged to the noble Earl for his Answer. The only thing that occurs to me is that the statement that the High Commissioner has approached the Union Government for information which he believes may assist the Bishop in determining his future course of action may be taken, in the circumstances, it seems to me, in one of two ways. It might 800 apply to the Bishop's intentions, which he made quite public, or it might be simply so far as arranging facilities for the Bishop's safe passage out of South Africa on his long period of leave in this country. I hope that the High Commissioner's inquiries will safeguard the rights of the Bishop in both respects.
THE EARL OF HOMEThey have no less and no greater rights than anybody else. But I do not quite know what the intentions of the Bishop are. That is what the High Commissioner is discovering, and the advice he gives will depend on what the Bishop wishes. I think I might leave it like that until later next week.