Mr Quintin Hogg: Whilst I realise the difficulty to which the Attorney-General refers and accept what he says about it, he will be aware of the " Ladies Directory " case? Will he consider the possibility of instituting proceedings for conspiracy to effect a debauchery of public morals?
Mr Quintin Hogg: Will the right hon. Gentleman undertake to keep the House informed of any developments in this difficult and painful situation? Is he aware that we should be glad of any information he can give us from time to time?
Mr Quintin Hogg: Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with the last words which fell from the right hon. Gentleman, may I ask whether he is aware that the policy which my right hon. Friend has enunciated from time to time—I have not seen the latest text—is that exactly the same general position should exist as for Frenchmen and Scandinavians—and for Americans for that matter?
Mr Quintin Hogg: Does not the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that our policy is that they should not in the ordinary course come in for permanent settlement at first instance? That is the difference between us.
Mr Quintin Hogg: I know that the hon. Gentleman is a very humane man. Does he not realise that after these women have completed their journey they have to take part in a criminal trial or in preliminary proceedings in which they are defendants? Is it not intolerable to ask such a person, after having travelled 200 miles in a day, to be subjected to a criminal trial?
Mr Quintin Hogg: While I agree with the hon. Gentleman that the period of six months is the ordinary period for summary offences, is he not aware that what is done in these cases sometimes amounts to common law conspiracy, in relation to which the period is indefinite and can be followed by deportation?
Mr Quintin Hogg: Without intervening on the snide remark which fell last from the right hon. Gentleman, may I ask him whether the Government will consider amending the 1877 Act which makes the sites in question the reversionary property of the local authorities, not of the central Government? Have they considered that possibility?
Mr Quintin Hogg: Although I accept that one does not want to make a grievous social problem of this kind a football of party politics—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]—do not the figures which the right hon. Gentleman has repeated, showing a consistent rise year by year in the total of professional crime in this country of a serious character, constitute a serious social problem? Is it not therefore inevitable that...
Mr Quintin Hogg: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I have had a number of distinguished clients in the courts, including the right hon. Gentleman, and that I was extremely proud to appear for him? May I return to the subject by asking him whether he is aware that the only thing I have criticised about the right hon. Gentleman is that a certain degree of complacency seemed to creep into his Nottingham...
Mr Quintin Hogg: I find that in many ways this is a difficult debate to reply to. I was one of those, Mr. Speaker, who rose yesterday when you ruled as you did in a way to make this debate possible. I did so because I felt it was not only inevitable but necessary that this House should show its concern over the events of the past few days and not because I believed then, or that I have come to believe since...
Mr Quintin Hogg: I thought that they were complaining that the hon. Lady was doing things outside she should not; she has always been quite good here, within reason. There is one other thing on which I agree with the hon. Lady, and I would mention it before I come to criticise. Whatever anybody else may think, I agree with the hon. Lady and the two other speakers who have spoken from the other side of the...
Mr Quintin Hogg: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the incident concerned took place in 1957 or 1958, immediately before the General Election which the right hon. Gentleman and his right hon. and hon. Friends lost?
Mr Quintin Hogg: Does the right hon. Gentleman recall that last October he was good enough to pay a graceful tribute to the Conservative Party on its attitude towards Northern Ireland? Is he aware that we will continue to deserve that commendation, for which we are grateful?
Mr Quintin Hogg: Will the hon. Lady read what her right hon. Friend said earlier about undesirability of introducing this subject into party politics?
Mr Quintin Hogg: However that might be, is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the feeling of many people connected with the enforcement of law that the indeterminate sentence which life imprisoment has now become is rather an anomaly? Will he ensure that this is among the subjects on which Lord Justice Edmund Davies will report so that the law may be tidied up in this respect?
Mr Quintin Hogg: I apologise for inflicting myself upon the House again today, but I feel that, perhaps for two reasons I am entitled to do so. First, I think that it is possibly incumbent upon me, holding, as I do, the position of official Opposition spokesman on home affairs, to address the House on this matter when the Home Secretary has spoken fully from his point of view. I like to think, too, that I...
Mr Quintin Hogg: I think not. That is not what has happened in relation to the parole board, and I should not see any lack of logic in applying the logic of the parole board to the particular instrument of policy which I have suggested. I come now to what I regard as the heart of the matter. It is at this point that I become distressed at the state of the law as it now is. I shall in a minute discuss both...
Mr Quintin Hogg: I was thinking particularly of the shooting of the policemen two years ago.
Mr Quintin Hogg: I hope that the hon. and learned Gentleman will forgive me for not giving way again now. I was going on to say to him that I have not so far dealt with the statistics, but that I want to say a word about them in a moment.
Mr Quintin Hogg: I do not want to give way again, because I am still answering the hon. and learned Gentleman's original question. I have not yet given him my answer, with great respect to him; I am still giving it. He is wholly mistaking the character of my argument if he thinks that I am talking about criminals in a state of emotion. I am not. I am talking about the question which may present itself to a...