§ 3.13 p.m.
§ Lord KENNETMy 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 how many persons have been executed in Crown Colonies and Dependent Territories, and in which, since the last person was executed in the United Kingdom.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (Lord Goronwy-Roberts)My Lords, the total is 29. With your Lordships' permission, I will circulate the details in the Official Report.
§ Following is the information referred to:
§ "Since 13th August 1964 the following numbers of executions have been carried out in British Dependent Territories. For comparison, the numbers of reprieves granted in capital cases in the same period is also shown.
| A. PRESENT UNITED KINGDOM DEPENDENT TERRITORIES | ||
| Territory | Executions | Reprieves |
| Belize | 2 | 12 |
| Bermuda | 2 | 1 |
| British Virgin Islands | 1 | 3 |
| Hong Kong | 2 | 99 |
| Montserrat | Nil | 1 |
| Solomon Islands* | Nil | 1 |
| *Death penalty abolished l966. |
| B. FORMER TERRITORIES WHICH HAVE BECOME INDEPENDENT SINCE 13TH AUGUST 1964 | ||
| Country | Executions† | Reprieves† |
| Gambia | Nil | 5 |
| British Guiana (now Guyana) | 3 | Nil |
| Bechuanaland (now Botswana) | 9 | 4 |
| Basutoland (now Lesotho) | 3 | Nil |
| Barbados | 3 | 1 |
| Fiji | 1 | 5 |
| Bahamas | 3 | 12 |
| Seychelles* | Nil | 1 |
| Full information is not available in respect of Aden and Swaziland, and of the territories which now form the West Indies Associated States. | ||
| †These figures are for the period 13th August 1964 up to independence only. | ||
| *Death penalty abolished 1966." |
§ Lord KENNETMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his helpful Answer. In view of the recent riots with loss of life following the executions in Bermuda and of the deplorable charges which were hurled about among the people of Bermuda and between Bermuda and London, will the Government now consider the desirability of amending the Creech Jones doctrine and of saying to our few remaining Colonies: "If you want to stay with us you must take us as you find us, and you must take the smooth with the smooth and abolish the death penalty"?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, my noble friend is aware, of course, that my right honourable friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary has invited the other place to debate this matter in its entirety with a view to resolving outstanding difficulties in the application of the 1947 policy—the Creech Jones formula. I have no doubt that the other place will shortly conduct such a debate and it may be that the invitation, couched as it was in terms of "Parliament", may include this noble House as well.
Lord PAGET of NORTHAMPTONMy Lords, will the noble Lord not point out to our Colonies that on the accumulating evidence, capital punishment, particularly in the case of political murders, does not deter, but promotes, violence and assassination and is a very silly thing to go into?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, not for the only time am I very glad to agree with the general purpose of the observations of my noble friend.
§ Baroness WOOTTON of ABINGERMy Lords, in initiating this debate throughout our remaining Colonies, has any indication been given of the direction in which Her Majesty's Government would like the outcome to be and, if so, has it been considered that the death penalty has been abolished in this country over the last 12 years?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, yes, I think that my noble friend has largely indicated certain indications of Her Majesty's Government's thinking on this matter. It is a fact, as she has 204 pointed out, that the capital penalty has been abolished in this country since 1965. In fact, it was suspended at that time and finalised in 1970. It is also a fact, as my noble friend has reminded us, that only a few Dependent Territories have declined to follow the example of this country in abolishing this penalty. However, it would be somewhat premature, if not to some extent improper, for the Government to indicate too clearly what they are thinking on this matter before Parliament—and I repeat that Parliament in this country includes both Houses—has discussed this matter and indicated its general view as representative of the view of the population generally. It is, of course, important that before the Government finally indicate their view they should have consulted Parliament extremely closely on the matter.