Oral Answers to Questions — Prisoners of War – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 25 February 1947.
Mr Richard Stokes
, Ipswich
12:00,
25 February 1947
asked the Secretary of State for War under what provision of the Geneva Convention German prisoners of war are still detained in this country.
Mr Frederick Bellenger
, Bassetlaw
The Geneva Convention is not the authority for the detention of prisoners of war, but deals with their conditions and treatment while detained. Article 75 of the Convention, however, does include mention of the liberation and return of prisoners of war, and on this point I have nothing to add to the reply given on 8th May, 1946, to my hon. Friend by my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State.
Mr Richard Stokes
, Ipswich
Yes, but is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the whole of the Nuremberg trial was based on the theory that the Control Commission was the legal Government of Germany; that under Article 75 of the Geneva Convention, we must enter into communication with the existing Government of a State for the immediate return of its subjects we hold prisoners of war; and that we ought, therefore, to return the German prisoners of war to the C.C.G.?
Mr Frederick Bellenger
, Bassetlaw
That seems to me to be a very involved legal point. I have given the answer to the Question my hon. Friend put on the Paper.
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.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
