§ LORD SEGALMy 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 what supervision will be exercised over letters and parcels addressed to the office in England of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
THE MINISTER or STATE, HOME OFFICE (VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CUL-ROSS)My Lords, the noble Lord was good enough to let me know that he has in mind the possibility that bombs might be sent to this office through the post. I am assured that the Post Office would take appropriate action if they had reason to believe that they had such a device in their hands. If anyone has delivered to him a postal package which he fears may contain a device of this kind, his proper course is to inform the police, who will give suitable advice. This would apply to the staff of this office—if it were set up.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, while thanking the noble Viscount for that reply, may I ask whether he is aware that a member of the Palestine movement has recently been blinded through opening a letter-bomb in Beirut? Does not the case exist for exercising the most rigorous scrutiny over all correspondence addressed to this office in England?
VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CULROSSMy Lords, I do not think it would be right for us to exercise rigorous scrutiny if that means that we ourselves should open the correspondence addressed to them. What has probably been learnt 942 about the P.L.O. is that there are packages delivered to members or staff of their offices, as the noble Lord told us, which can blow up. I would think that if there were an office here they would be aware of this situation. And, of course, if the Post Office have any prior indication that this is so they can deal with it themselves. But I think the incidents that have occurred—there are more than one—are enough to put people on their notice of danger of this kind.
LORD JANNERMy Lords, would not the easiest way of preventing all this scrutiny and chance, and everything else concerned, be to find ways and means of preventing an office of this description from being opened? Surely, this should be done when everybody is aware of the fact that these offices will be used for either this particular body or affiliated bodies to incite people to murder and to terrorism.
VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CULROSSMy Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Janner, put down a Question on this subject very recently. On that occasion I sought as best I could to answer all the questions asked, including I think all those that he has just asked by way of a supplementary. I much regret that I simply cannot add to what I think was a very full Answer then.
§ LORD SLATERMy Lords, is the noble Viscount aware that, according to the powers vested in the hands of the Post Office Board, they have no powers whatever to open sealed correspondence? This point has been answered. I personally have answered it in another place time and time again with regard to the powers the Post Office possess.
VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CULROSSMy Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Slater, with his enormous experience of this matter, is quite right. This was the reason why I suggested to the noble Lord, Lord Segal, that it might not be a good idea if I sought to say anything about the Post Office or anybody else opening sealed correspondence. On the other hand, if something is ticking loudly, and does not appear to be an alarm clock, I think that the Post Office probably have some powers to remove it from the building.