Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies if he will make renewed representations to the Irish Republican authorities concerning the practice of the Irish Republican judiciary of suspending sentences of imprisonment on Irish Republican citizens provided they leave the Irish Republic and go and live in England.
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: Would not my hon. Friend agree that this practice, which was prevalent two or three years ago, is certainly creeping in again? If any other action which is contemplated is not satisfactory, will he, perhaps, consider retaliatory action in the form of suggesting to our own judiciary that it should consider suspending sentences of imprisonment on English criminals provided that they go to live...
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: During this week we have heard a great deal about oppression and injustice suffered by people all over the world—in Cyprus, British Guiana, Greece, Spain, and so on. We often become more excited about cases of injustice to foreigners than about injustice to our own people, but tonight I want to call the attention of the House to what I consider to be a case of grave injustice, under the...
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps were taken to prevent any communication between Gordon Lonsdale and George Blake during the period when they were both imprisoned in Wormwood Scrubs Prison in 1961.
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: Can my right hon. Friend assure the House that there is no truth at all in the recent reports in the Sunday Times on this matter, including the statement that a senior Whitehall official had stated that there was an association between these two men? If he cannot give that assurance, will my right hon. Friend say whether he agrees with that particular senior Whitehall official that any...
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: Does not my right hon. Friend agree that these cases could not possibly be more dissimilar? Whereas Lonsdale in certain lights could be regarded as a patriot, the other people for whom the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Bowles) is appealing are no more than squalid, mercenary traitors.
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will recommend the grant of a free pardon to Harold Graham Dunsmore, 15 Clarence Street, Nottingham, who was released from Rochester Borstal on his instructions on 9th May.
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: As this young man was convicted of being in unlawful possession of three separate objects, and as subsequent investigation showed that he was in lawful possession of two of them, and the only possible evidence in connection with the third one supported his story that he had found the particular object—which was worth very little, in any case—would not my right hon. Friend agree that the...
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, In view of the unsatisfactory nature of my right hon. Friend's Answer, I should like your leave to raise the matter later on the Adjournment.
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: asked the Minister of Transport if he will move to amend Section 203 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960, to provide that no person or body of persons carrying on motor vehicle insurance in Great Britain can be considered an authorised insurer under the Act if he or they refuse cover to a person on the grounds that such person is not of British extraction.
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: May I ask the Minister whether he is aware that a constituent of mine has recently been refused cover by the Malvern Insurance Company Ltd., solely for the reason that he is of foreign extraction? As this man fought alongside us during the whole of the last war in the Polish Air Force, and has been a naturalised British subject for more than 10 years, does not my hon. and gallant Friend think...
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: Does my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Tiley) realise that I referred to the Malvern Insurance Company Ltd. and not to the Northern Assurance Company?
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: After listening to this debate, I must congratulate my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on the great skill and determination he must have shown in Committee in order to have resisted these Amendments which, as I was not a member of the Committee, I assume were advanced there also. The hon. Member for Nelson and Colne (Mr. S. Silverman) has said that during the whole course of this debate...
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: It seems that the representatives from the county constituencies do not feel very strongly about this matter as they have not bothered to attend here and to give the views which my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon, South (Sir H. Lucas-Tooth) suggests they have. They have not come here to do so.
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: To get down to figures, all hon. Members opposite who have spoken have done so in favour of the Amendments and on this side the score is 4 to 1 in favour of them. I shall now make it 5 to 1. I am sure that it will be said that the only reason why I do so is that I represent a borough constituency and my local people have been getting at me. That is true—[Laughter.]—and everybody knows it....
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: The last speaker in the defence debate just concluded urged us all not to flinch from power or be afraid of power. This evening, I certainly do not intend to flinch from the Ministry of Power in the case which I wish to make. Indeed, I am quite sure that when my hon. Friend has heard the case which I wish to urge he will agree with the suggestions I shall make. I am extremely glad to have...
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: Would not my hon. Friend agree that if, as he says, when it is proved that some outside person has stolen the money the householder should not be required to repay it, the same thing should apply if the police had, at least, established the fact that the householder was not responsible?
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: asked the Minister of Power if he will give general directions in the public interest to the Electricity Council and the Gas Council not to demand repayment by householders of cash stolen from their electricity and gas meters unless satisfied that the money was stolen by the householders themselves.
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: Would not my hon. Friend agree that the householder concerned has no say at all about the theft-resisting qualities of the meter and has no control over the frequency of the clearances of the money which is in the meter? Under those circumstances, would he not agree that it is monstrous that any householder, rich or poor, should be required to make good this loss?
Lieut-Colonel John Cordeaux: In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I wish to give notice that I shall endeavour to raise the matter on the Adjournment.