Oral Answers to Questions — Jamaica – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 29 October 1947.
Mr William Gallacher
, Fife Western
12:00,
29 October 1947
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will cause an investigation to be made into the conditions existing at Outram Road Civil Prison during the one-and-half years imprisonment, for holding a prohibited demonstration of Mr. Lin Ah Liang, one of the Resistance leaders in Malaya against the Japanese; and whether this prisoner was subjected to mental torture or any other form of maltreatment from the prison authorities.
Lieut-Colonel David Rees-Williams
, Croydon South
The Governor of Singapore has already appointed a Commission of Inquiry into conditions in Outram Road Gaol. I am asking him for a report on the imprisonment of Mr. Lim Ah Liang, and will write to the hon. Member when I have received it.
Mr William Gallacher
, Fife Western
Is the Minister aware that very serious complaints are being made about the treatment of this man and the procedure against fraudulent misrepresentation?
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.
