Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 19 November 1964.
Mr Geoffrey Lloyd
, Sutton Coldfield
12:00,
19 November 1964
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to include citizens of the Republic of Ireland in the operation of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1962.
Sir Frank Soskice
, Newport (Monmouthshire/Gwent)
I have no present proposals to make any change in this respect.
Mr Geoffrey Lloyd
, Sutton Coldfield
Does the right hon. and learned Gentleman recollect that his right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, as official spokesman for the Labour Party, made the exclusion of Southern Ireland from the Commonwealth Immigrants Bill the main issue of principle upon which the Opposition of the party opposite to the Bill was based? Am I to understand that there may be a change in the attitude of the Government on this question?
Sir Frank Soskice
, Newport (Monmouthshire/Gwent)
Quite naturally, I carefully studied all the speeches which have been delivered in the course of the many debates on this difficult and emotive subject. All I can say is that, having held this office for one month, and having considered the various pros and cons, I am not in a position to say that I have at present any proposals in regard to the matter to which the right hon. Gentleman's Question relates.
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 Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
