Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to protect the property of British residents of Cyprus, forced to evacuate as a result of recent events.
§ Mr. HattersleySo far as it is practicable in the extraordinary circumstances now prevailing in Cyprus, the British High Commission will endeavour on request to assist British subjects with the protection of their property. As regards property which has been abandoned by its British owners, I have no doubt that, whenever a case is brought to his notice, the High Commissioner will remind the local Cyprus authorities of their responsibility for its protection.
Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what precise liaison has been established in Cyprus between the news media and the staff of the High Commission; and if in future he will seek to arrange that the names of British subjects killed in Cyprus or elsewhere are not announced by the news media prior to the information being passed to the local British diplomatic authorities.
§ Mr. HattersleyThe staff of the High Commission at Nicosia maintain liaison with British and other representatives of the news media as diplomatic missions do in all countries. Recent events in Cyprus have made normal liaison betwen the High Commission and correspondents very difficult and at times impossible. Whenever a journalist has been able to give information to the mission about the death of a British subject we are of course most grateful, but I cannot lay down rules for, or place restrictions on, news reporting by correspondents overseas of the kind which the hon. Member suggests.
Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 590W if he is satisfied with the speed of collection and the accuracy of information collected by his officials in Cyprus about British residents as opposed to tourists.
§ Mr. HattersleyYes. The High Commission has been in the centre of the fighting in Nicosia since Saturday so it has not been possible to move about freely. The telephone system appears either to have worked irregularly or at times not to have worked at all, so contact with Cypriot officials and United Kingdom citizens has been and is extremely difficult. Despite these dangers and hardships the High Commission has carried out its consular and reporting functions, in respect of tourists and British residents alike, with a conscientious and courageous attention to duty which I find wholly admirable.
Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a detailed statement of the circumstances leading up to, and surrounding, the death of Mr. Samuel Sunderland in Kyrenia on Monday 22nd July.
§ Mr. HattersleyNo. I have already sent the hon. Member a letter on this subject.