§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the deportation to Australia of Jewish refugees from Nazism in September 1940 they will apologise to the survivors who travelled on HMT "Dunera" for the treatment accorded them by the British government in 1940; whether they will now open to the public the records of the courts martial at which British servicemen were charged with offences of violence against the passengers on that vessel.
§ Viscount UllswaterThe decision to intern exiles from Nazi Germany and eventually to deport a number of them to Australia and Canada was taken during a critical period in 1940 when a German invasion of the United Kingdom seemed imminent. Deportation action was taken under legislation in force at the time which had been agreed by Parliament. Although the Government fully appreciate that this action was inevitably distressing to those involved, like previous post-war governments of both parties it does not see it as a matter of apology. Internees who travelled on HMT "Dunera" complained of their treatment during the voyage. After an official inquiry, compensation was paid to those whose possessions had been taken and some of the guard force on the ship were brought to trial. Papers relating to those charged with offences did not meet the criteria for permanent preservation and were destroyed some years ago.