HC Deb 24 November 1953 vol 521 cc25-6W
92. Sir L. Plnmmer

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give a list of the publications excluded from British Guiana during the most recent period of 12 months for which information is available.

Mr. Hopkinson

The Undesirable Publications (Prohibition of Importation) Ordinance, empowering the Governor in Executive Council to exclude certain publications from British Guiana, became law on 13th March, 1953. No publications were excluded under that law up to the date on which the P.P.P. Ministers introduced a Bill to repeal it.

93. Sir L. Plummer

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the nature and quantities of Communist literature stated in Command Paper No. 8980 to have been poured into British Guiana after the introduction of the Bill to repeal the Undesirable Publications Ordinance in the House of Assembly in British Guiana.

Mr. Hopkinson

Precise details are not available, but since the introduction of the Bill to repeal the Undesirable Publications Ordinance more than 700 different Communist publications have been observed, of which over 10,000 copies are estimated to have been distributed. They include standard Communist works, international Communist periodicals, and publications of Communist world organisations.

96. Mr. Hale

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will place in the Library of the House of Commons a copy of the Bill to repeal the Undesirable Publications Ordinance, introduced into the House of Assembly in British Guiana.

Mr. Hopkinson

A copy is being obtained and will be placed in the Library when it is received.

97. Mr. Hale

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state, in detail, the nature of Her Majesty's Government's objections to the Bill to repeal the Undesirable Publications Ordinance, introduced into the House of Assembly in British Guiana; and if he is aware that this represents a departure by Her Majesty's Government from the principles of the Atlantic Charter.

Mr. Hopkinson

The Bill to repeal the British Guiana Undesirable Publications Ordinance sought to abolish the power of the Governor in Executive Council to prohibit the importation of undesirable publications, as well as to jeopardise retrospectively public officers for their actions performed in the course of their duties.

As indicated in the White Paper (Cmd. 8980) Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom consider that the introduction of this Bill, together with the other actions of the then Ministers, threatened the progress of the Colony as an orderly State. The relevance to this matter of the Atlantic Charter is not evident.