– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 3 February 1947.
Mr Francis Noel-Baker
, Brentford and Chiswick
12:00,
3 February 1947
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will instruct His Majesty's representative in Madrid to protest to the Spanish Government at the continued detention, in Ondarreta prison, San Sebastian, after 20 months without court martial, of Felix Corta, Jose-Maria Larrea and Alejandro Zabala, in view of the fact that these persons are accused of assisting the Basque Brigade which fought with the allied forces during the liberation of France.
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
I am informed that these three men are accused of entering Spain clandestinely for subversive purposes, and to reorganise the Basque Nationalist Party, which is proscribed by the present Government of Spain. Corta and 10 others, who were arrested with them on similar charges, have been granted conditional liberty. His Majesty's Embassy have watched the case closely, and will continue to do so.
Lieut-Commander Joseph Braithwaite
, Holderness
. Are any of them sons of Cabinet Ministers?
Mr Francis Noel-Baker
, Brentford and Chiswick
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will instruct His Majesty's representative in Madrid to protest to the Spanish Government at the postponement, after two years and 11 months detention without trial, of the court martial of nine Basques, whose names have been sent to his Department by the hon. Member for Brentford and Chiswick, in view of the fact that the only accusation against these men was that they attempted, on 21st January, 1944, to join the Allied Forces in France.
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
His Majesty's Embassy at Madrid report that these men are being held at Vitoria prison, and that their trial is not likely to take place for two or three months. Inquiries are being made, and if the result provides grounds for interven- tion, we will certainly take the case up with the Spanish authorities.
Mr Francis Noel-Baker
, Brentford and Chiswick
Does not the fact that these men have been in detention two years and 11 months without trial provide grounds for Intervention?
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
It provides grounds for anxiety, but inquiries are being made.
Sir Patrick Hannon
, Birmingham Moseley
Would it not be much better for His Majesty's Administration to allow the Spanish people to manage these affairs themselves?
Mr Christopher Mayhew
, Norfolk Southern
When we can help anti-Fascists we do.
Sir Waldron Smithers
, Orpington
Will His Majesty's Government take equal care to supervise developments in Yugoslavia and Russia?
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
An intervention is when the MP making a speech is interrupted by another MP and asked to 'give way' to allow the other MP to intervene on the speech to ask a question or comment on what has just been said.
