Civil Disabilities
10.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that ex-enemy alien refugees enjoy civil rights but that Allied nationals who have served here in the war and are unable to return for political reasons do not enjoy the same rights; and if he will remedy this state of affairs.
The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative; and the second part does not therefore appear to arise.
As ex-enemy aliens are represented by the High Commissioner for Refugees, Sir Henry Emerson, and people like the refugee Poles and Yugoslavs are represented by no one, surely the position is otherwise than the right hon. Gentleman has stated? I have here two pages of disabilities suffered by these people.
If the hon. and gallant Member will consult with me on those two pages and any more he may produce I shall be very happy to meet him..
Mr Assan
14.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what authority and upon what grounds was Mr. Assam, representative in Britain of the Indonesian seamen's section of the I.T.F., deported to Holland on 12th November, 1945.
From such information as I have been able to obtain I infer that my hon. Friend is referring to a Dutch seaman named Assan, who arrived about 18 months ago and embarked as a passenger for Rotterdam on 12th November. No deportation order has been made against him, and no steps were taken by my Department to enforce his departure.
Refugee Industrialists
15.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet in a position to make a statement on the future of refugee industrialists, many of whom were encouraged and invited to come here from the Contined. during the years 1933 to 1939 by the Government to help solve the unemployment problem then existing.
I regret that I cannot go beyond the statement which I made last Thursday relating to the proposal to resume investigation of applications for naturalisation from foreigners who, in various ways, have special claims to consideration.
While recognising that delays in dealing with naturalisation may be inevitable because of the great numbers involved, cannot the right hon. Gentleman expedite his decision as to giving permission to the refugee industrialists to continue the work of their industries on a permanent basis, seeing that their numbers are under 1,000 and they are impeded in their planning by the uncertainty as to the future of their industries?
I cannot accept the hon. Lady's estimate of the numbers. The statement I made last week was quite clear and, I hope, sympathetic towards the claims of those people. I must ask that I be allowed to consider individual applications on their merits, because British citizenship is not a thing to be conferred unless one is certain that the person applying for it is not merely an industrialist, but is in other ways suitable for recognition.
Polish Nationals (Residence)
17.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have now been made to enable Polish officers and men of the Polish Mercantile Navy who do not wish to return to Poland or serve under the existing Polish Government to take up residence and seek employment in this country.
I have in suitable cases authorised a variation of the conditions on which these officers and men had been given leave to land, so as to permit them to take temporary shore employment of such kinds as may be approved by the Ministry of Labour. As at present advised, I am not prepared to allow them to settle permanently on shore and they will be expected in due course to resume the sea employment as opportunity offers.
In view of the fact that there are several hundreds of these men involved, can my right hon. Friend give us any idea of the numbers who have been afforded this facility?
If my hon. Friend will put down the question I will endeavour to give him the information.
Will these concessions apply to the officers and men of the Polish Forces and civilians in this country?
Before I can broaden the statement which I have made here, I would like to see the question on the Paper.
Merchant Seamen (Naturalization)
20.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if applicants for British nationality who have served in the Merchant Navy during the war will be among the categories given early consideration.
I understand that among the thousands of applicants whose consideration has been suspended, there are a number from persons who have served in the Merchant Navy during the war. Priority will be given to these applications provided that the applicants possess the necessary statutory qualifications and are otherwise suitable for naturalization. I am not yet in a position to say to what extent it will be possible to give priority to future applications.