§ Mr. Hattersleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has asked Mr. Ian Smith if the African National Council will be allowed to hold public meetings in the Tribal Trust Lands during the period that the Pearce Commission is in Rhodesia; and what answer he has received.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeNo. The Pearce Commission which is on the spot is the right body to satisfy itself on the general question of political activities. In218W a statement issued in Salisbury on 28th January Lord Pearce said:
Our Commissioners, who have been operating throughout the length and breadth of the country … report that there has been intense political activity wherever they have been, including the Tribal Trust Lands".
§ Mr. Hattersleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what request he has made to Mr. Ian Smith to ensure that public figures from the United Kingdom who have an interest in visiting Rhodesia during the period that the Pearce Commission is there are not prevented from doing so: and what answer he has received.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeI have nothing to add to the statement which I made on 31st January.—[Vol. 830, c. 43–5.]
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will give the precise date before Christmas on which Her Majesty's Government agreed to send out the Pearce Commission to Rhodesia: what agreement or understanding was then arrived at concerning the time of arrival or the length of time to be taken to undertake its tasks; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeThe passages on the Test of Acceptability in the proposals were of course agreed during the negotiations concluded on 24th November. There was no agreement on a timetable for the test which, since his appointment, has been entirely in the hands of Lord Pearce.
§ Mr. Hattersleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Comonwealth Affairs if he has asked Mr. Ian Smith if the Rhodesian régime intends to allow opponents of the settlement negotiated in November the opportunity to express their views on television; and what answer he has received.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeI have looked into this and I have concluded that there are no good grounds for seeking to amend the proposals on this point. The proposals state that
Radio and television time will be made available to political parties represented in the House of Asesmbly.219W No distinction is drawn between such political parties wishing to oppose the settlement, and those wishing to accept them.
§ Mr. Hattersleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what answer he has received from Mr. Ian Smith to his request to supply the evidence by which the Rhodesian régime justifies the arrest and detention of Mr. Garfield Todd, Miss Judith Todd and Mr. and Mrs. Chinamano.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeThe situation remains that Mr. Smith has not informed me of the evidence on which the decision to detain them was based. In his latest statement, Lord Pearce has said
There have been detentions, about which we have asked for details, but the Commission is not yet able to judge whether these are necessary on security grounds at a period of tension.