§ Mr. MYERSasked the Home Secretary how many of the persons arrested under the Emergency Powers Act are members of the Communist party and how many are members of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain?
§ Mr. SHORTTI have not details of all the cases. Charges of disorderly conduct, intimidation, &c., are prosecuted by the local police, and Scotland is outside my jurisdiction. I must, therefore, confine my answer to the cases under Regulation 19, in which the Director of Public Prosecutions authorises the prosecution. He informs me he has prosecuted in 21 cases. In one of these cases he has since learnt that the man was a miner, though he was unaware of this at the time. Two other cases against miners were brought to his notice, but he did not think the circumstances justified him in instituting proceedings. He thinks that in every case the offender professed himself a Communist.