HC Deb 24 November 1914 vol 68 cc932-3
17. Mr. BUTCHER

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the fact that the Aliens Restriction Act, 1914, and the Regulations made thereunder have no application to naturalised Germans and Austrians, and that in some cases such persons are at least as dangerous to the State as non-naturalised Germans and Austrians, he will at once introduce legislation empowering the Secretary of State in all proper cases at his discretion, and not merely in cases of fraud or misrepresentation, to cancel the certificates of naturalisation of such persons or to suspend them during the period of the War so as to make these persons amenable to the provisions of the Aliens Restriction Act, 1914, and the Regulations made thereunder?

The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. McKenna)

I have considered the proposal, which has been made very widely, that power should be taken to withdraw naturalisation certificates at discretion in the case of persons who are dangerous to the State. I think that, apart from any objection to the proposal in principle, as a matter of practice any circumstances of danger to the State which would justify the use of such a power would also afford sufficient ground for action against the individual in question under the very wide powers conferred by the present law—in particular the Defence of the Realm Acts.

Mr. BUTCHER

Is it not desirable that, in cases such as those referred to, it should be possible to put in force the Regulations made under the Aliens Restriction Act? Without some such power is it not impossible to enforce those Regulations?

Mr. McKENNA

As I understood his question, the hon. Member wishes to leave in the Home Secretary a discretion to suspend certificates. I very much doubt whether that discretion ought ever to be exercised unless there are circumstances of suspicion, and, if there are circumstances of suspicion, the person suspected can already be proceeded against under the law. It would be bad policy, I submit to the hon. and learned Member, to give a discretion to any Secretary of State which would enable him to supersede the law.