HC Deb 12 November 1976 vol 919 cc279-80W
Mr. Litterick

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement of his policy on treatment of United Kingdom citizens' mail in the light of the testimony of Mr. Thomas Greenish, Executive Vice-President of Western Union International, to the Congressional Sub-Committee on Government Information and Individual Rights, that his company is passing copies of all cables sent by British citizens to the United States, to the British Embassy in Washington;

(2) how many copies of cablegrams sent to the United States by people resident in Great Britain have been given to the British Embassy in Washington by Western Union International during the last complete month; and how much this cost;

(3) if the British Embassy in Washington is currently collecting copies, from Western Union International, of all cablegrams sent from Great Britain to the United States; and what has happened in the past;

(4) how many copies of cablegrams sent by British citizens to the United States have been collected by the British Embassy in Washington from Western Union International during the last 12 months; and how much this operation cost the British taxpayer;

(5) how long the British Embassy in Washington has been receiving copies of all cablegrams sent by British citizens to the United States via Western Union International; and under what statutory authority such action has been taken;

(6) why the British Embassy in Washington collects copies of every cablegram transmitted by British citizens to the United States via Western Union International.

Dr. Owen

Section 4 of the Official Secrets Act 1920 was last reviewed in 1967 by the Committee of Privy Counsellors (Command 3309), and I do not intend to make a further statement or publish more information.