HC Deb 16 July 1924 vol 176 c342
7. Lieut. - Colonel HOWARD-BURY

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of an Irish Free State passport control office being set up in New York to deal with the very large number of foreign subjects applying for visas for the Irish Free, State, he will state what measures he proposes to take to prevent undesirable aliens from entering Great Britain via the Free State?

Mr. PONSONBY

In cases where it is known that an applicant intends to visit the United Kingdom as well as the Irish Free State, he will be required to obtain a supplementary British Consular visa. It is not anticipated that undesirable aliens will succeed in entering the United Kingdom by obtaining an Irish Free State visa without declaring their intention of going on to this country, since the Irish Free State passport control office will be in possession of the same information as the British passport control office, and will proceed on the same lines.

Lieut. - Colonel HOWARD - BURY

Can the hon. Gentleman say how it is possible to prevent a foreigner coming over to Ireland and then coming to this country, quite unknown to the Irish Free State passport office in New York? How is it possible to prevent that without having passports between the Free State and this country?

Mr. PONSONBY

The Irish passport control office may be trusted not to allow any undesirable aliens to come over to Ireland.