§ 54. Mr.LANSBURYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many passports during the past 12 months were granted to British subjects desirous of travelling to Russia by the Foreign Office; and how many visas were granted by the British representatives in Russia to Russian citizens desirous of coming to Great Britain?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Austen Chamberlain)Passports valid for travelling in Soviet Russia have been freely issued to British subjects who desired 731 them. No special record is kept of endorsements for Soviet Russia, and the exact number issued cannot be ascertained without prolonged research. It, of course, does not follow that a Russian visa is always accorded where we have issued a passport, and I cannot say in how many cases the visa has been refused. On the second part of the question, I have no information, but I am ready to make enquiries of His Majesty's Charged'Affaires at Moscow if I am convinced that the information is of any public importance.