– in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 23 Mawrth 1964.
Mr Jeremy Thorpe
, North Devon
12:00,
23 Mawrth 1964
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, how many persons attached to the South African Embassy on London are accorded diplomatic immunity.
Mr Peter Thomas
, Conway
Ninety-seven, of whom thirty-two are wives.
Mr Jeremy Thorpe
, North Devon
Is the Minister aware that at a meeting, on 28th February, organised to draw attention to South African political prisoners, there were two men standing in the hall, one with a cine-camera taking pictures of the queue forming to come in, accompanied by a second man with a lamp? Is he aware that inside the hall, there was a third man with a camera and flash bulb taking photographs of the audience? Is he further aware that at least one of these men is credibly believed to be attached to the South African Embassy? In those circumstances, will he take steps to ensure that no one enjoying the privilege of diplomatic immunity is seeking to impose the methods of the South African police State in this country where citizens wish to go freely without any check on them by the South African Government?
Mr Peter Thomas
, Conway
I am afraid I have no knowledge of the matters which the hon. Member has raised, but I will certainly look into them.
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.
