§ Mr. W. Robertsasked the Under-Secretary of State for India why the censor of news telegrams to India has forbidden news to be transmitted to India which has been published in England; and whether, in future, he will give instructions to the censor that any news published in newspapers in England may be transmitted to India for publication there?
§ Sir H. O'NeillApart from the messages referred to in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the hon. Member for Leyton West (Mr. Sorensen) on 9th November, there have been no cases so far as can be traced in which the censorship has stopped the transmission to India of news which has been published in England. Responsibility for censorship rests, as stated by the Prime Minister on 3rd October last, on the Department concerned with the subject-matter. So far as730W India is concerned, I am unable to accept the suggestion made in the last part of the question. It is possible, for example, that, as the censorship of Press matter is on a voluntary basis, the Press in this country may happen on occasion to publish matter to which it would be undesirable to give immediate wider currency.