§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What reasons they have been given by the South African Government for not releasing all political detainees by the date previously agreed; and what information they have about the conditions under which detainees and political prisoners are being held.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (The Earl of Caithness):The South African Government has stated that it was unable to release all political prisoners by the agreed date (30th April) because many such prisoners formally requested only immediately before, or in many instances, after the date in question. The release of some prisoners has been further delayed while their eligibility for political status is examined, as agreed previously by a working party of government and ANC officials. We have only limited information on the conditions in which individual detainees and political prisoners are being held.