39. Mr. C. WASONasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if there 1343 is any method of discrimination in the German internment camps, so that Germans of undoubted character who have been long resident in this country, married English wives, and have English children, will not be mixed up with treason mongers?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Herbert Samuel)Interned aliens are classified so far as practicable, but any exact discrimination on the lines suggested is not possible.
§ 40. Mr. GARDNERasked whether the Government have allowed Germans from internment camps to come out and bake bread for German bakers in any case?
§ Mr. H. SAMUELDuring the last three months no Germans who were bakers have been released from internment. Among the men recommended for exemption by the Advisory Committee for special reasons, and released accordingly during the previous few months there appear to have been a very small number of men who were bakers, but none of these were released on account of their trade or in order that they might take employment with German bakers. The total number of Germans released in the last three months out of a total of about 26,000 was seventeen, and several of these were only technically of German nationality. The number interned during the same period was 203. I would add that the statement recently made by an English baker, when applying at the Wandsworth Tribunal for exemption for his son, which has attracted some attention, to the effect that he had German bakers on each side of him and that it seemed very hard that the Government allowed Germans from internment camps to come out and compete with him, is found on inquiry to have no basis in fact.
§ Colonel YATECan the right hon. Gentleman say how many German bakers there are now plying their trade in London?
§ Mr. SAMUELNo, Sir, but they are exceedingly few.