§ 72. Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens are imprisoned by the Italian authorities at Trani, Bari, Italy: what are their names and ages; for what period each has been imprisoned or held without trial; and on how many occasions the British Consul at Bari has visited them since January 1968.
§ Mr. FoleyFive. Messrs. J. R. Castle, T. P. Guerin, J. A. Haywood, B. W. Reay and L. F. Taylor, none of whom is a minor. The five men have been detained by the Italian authorities since 3rd January, 1968. Our Consul at Bari has visited the men 16 times since this date.
§ 73. Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the imprisonment of 21W five British citizens at Trani, Bari, Italy; what replies he has sent; what further representations he has made concerning their imprisonment; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FoleyRepresentations have been made by certain hon. Members, in addition to approaches by relatives to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and to our Consul at Bari. Our replies have indicated Her Majesty's Government's continuing concern for the general welfare of the prisoners and that the trial should be held at the earliest possible date. Our Embassy in Rome and our Consul in Bari will continue to emphasise to the Italian authorities the desirability of holding an early trial.
§ Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the health of the five British citizens held without trial at Trani, Bari, Italy, since January 1968; how often he has been informed by the Italian authorities of the probable date of their trial; what explanation he has received from the Italian authorities for the delay in bringing them to trial; what charges have been brought against them; and what is now the probable date of trial.
§ Mr. FoleyOur Consul in Bari visited the prisoners on 18th February. They were well and had no complaints to put to him. Tentative estimates of the trial date given by the Italian authorities have been amended three times. Delay has been caused by the complex international ramifications of the case, the extent of investigation found necessary in a matter involving over 30 suspects (some outside Italy) and the time involved in the delivery of summonses. Charges have been brought against all five of conspiracy to smuggle, smuggling and tax evasions in two categories; and one of them is additionally accused of failure to obey a warship's order to stop and of certain breaches of the Italian navigation regulations. It is now estimated that the trial may be held in April or May.
§ Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British subjects are currently imprisoned in Italy; and how many are awaiting trial.
22W
§ Mr. FoleyNine United Kingdom citizens of whom eight are awaiting trial. I have no information on British subjects who are not United Kingdom nationals.
§ Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will arrange for a visit to Trani Prison, Bari, by a senior member of the British Embassy staff at Rome to ensure that the needs of British citizens currently imprisoned there are catered for; and if he will arrange for a representative from the Embassy to be present at their trial.
§ Mr. FoleyNo, it is not necessary to do so.
Our Consul at Bari has responsibility for the general welfare of these men and will arrange for attendance by a member of the Consulate at the trial.
§ Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make arrangements to ensure that close relatives of British citizens imprisoned at Trani, Bari, Italy, are kept informed of the condition of the detainees; and why he has not done so to date.
§ Mr. FoleyThe five men are accorded prison postal facilities and are thus able to communicate themselves with their relatives and to receive letters. They are regularly visited by the Consul and are in a position to request his assistance in the transmission of any exceptional messages. The Consul would of course deal promptly with any emergency matter requiring to be brought to the attention of relatives. In these circumstances, I do not feel that any other special arrangements are called for.