HC Deb 24 February 1959 vol 600 cc130-1W
Mr. Stonehouse

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the magistrate informed Captain Law on 18th January, 1958, that he would be maintained for three weeks, and efforts made to find him employment, when the effect of his order was the detention of Captain Law in Kamiti Prison for a period of three months.

Mr. J. Amery

I have no information on what remarks, if any, the magistrate made when he found Captain Law to be a vagrant and ordered his committal to[...] house of detention.

Mr. Stonehouse

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the passport of Captain Law was taken from him by the Kenya authorities in June, 1958, when he was repatriated by air to the United Kingdom; and when it will be returned to him.

Mr. J. Amery

The initial five-year validity of Captain Law's passport expired early in 1954, and he had no means to pay for its renewal for a further five years. It was therefore retained, and he was issued instead with an emergency travel document at no cost. He may apply for a new passport at any time in the usual way.

Mr. Stonehouse

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the appeal of Captain Law for his repatriation to the United Kingdom was ignored by the magistrate on 17th April, 1958.

Mr. J. Amery

The repatriation of Captain Law was not a matter for the Court, but for the Kenya Government, which had been considering the matter since Captain Law first made his wishes known. As the formalities in this difficult and unusual case had not been completed by the time the power to repatriate under the Ordinance was about to expire Captain Law was brought before the magistrate again on 17th April to ensure that there would be no legal bar to repatriation. Within a week of the magistrate's order of this date the way was clear to try to secure a sea passage for Captain Law; no booking could be obtained and he was therefore repatriated by air.

Mr. Stonehouse

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the repeated appeals of Captain Law to the Superintendent of Kamiti Prison for his release and repatriation to the United Kingdom were ignored.

Mr. J. Amery

Captain Law made two applications for repatriation while at Kamiti, the first on 21st January, 1958, and the second, to the Acting Commissioner of Prisons, on 14th May. There was an unfortunate delay in dealing with the first (largely because this was the first recorded case of a European, and a permanent resident of the Colony, voluntarily surrendering himself as a vagrant and asking to be sent to the United Kingdom at public expense); but for several weeks before the second application efforts had been proceeding to book him a sea passage to this country.

Mr. Stonehouse

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the result of the medical examination of Captain Ernest Law after he was admitted to Kamiti Prison on 18th January, 1958.

Mr. J. Amery

The medical officer found that Captain Law's physical condition was normal for a man of his age.

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