Mr. Colin Jacksonasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if he will explain the circumstances in which a Rhodesian passport and health documents were taken from Master D. P. Bouma, an eleven year old boy, at London Airport recently.
§ Mr. WhitlockI am glad to correct the misleading reports which have been current about this case. When David Bouma arrived at London Airport on 1st April his travel document was found to have been issued by the illegal regime and consequently to have no international validity. In accordance with the procedure announced in the House of Commons by the then Commonwealth Secretary on 25th January, 1966, the illegal travel document was taken from him and subsequently he was issued with a temporary and renewable British passport. This procedure has had to be applied in hundreds of cases since the illegal declaration of independence; a British passport gives the holder much greater freedom to travel. I understand that the boy's health documents, which had been attached to the illegal travel document, were returned to him when his British passport was issued.