§ 36. Sir Knox Cunninghamasked the Attorney-General whether he is aware of the remarks of Mr. Justice Hewson in the case of the glider Standard Austria SH 1964 in which it was suggested that it might be advisable to have in rem jurisdiction to enforce claims against the owners of aircraft; and if he will refer the question of enlarging the Admiralty jurisdiction in rem conferred by the Administration of Justice Act, 1956, so that it will cover such claims to the appropriate body for consideration and advice.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI am grateful to the hon. and learned Member for sending me a report of the learned judge's observations, which I have studied. Seizure of aircraft for the purpose of founding jurisdiction would create serious problems for air transport operators. In any event the exercise of jurisdiction based solely on the seizure of a foreign208W aircraft would not have any secure basis in international law in the absence of international agreement. I am not aware of any substantial demand for the exercise of such a jurisdiction from interested organisations in this country and do not consider that there is a sufficient case for examining this question.