§ 45. Sir HERBERT SAMUELasked the Prime Minister whether the fact that the Dominion of New Zealand has now enacted legislation securing to New Zealand women the right to retain their nationality on marriage to an alien will affect the previous decision of His Majesty's Government, based on the desirability of preserving the uniformity of the law of nationality throughout the British Commonwealth, not to proceed with legislation in the United Kingdom to accord to a married woman the same rights in respect of nationality as are possessed by a man or a single woman; and whether this question will be the subject of discussion during the forthcoming meetings with representatives of the Dominions?
§ The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald)The. effect of the New Zealand legislation referred to in the first part of the right hon. Member's question is to provide that, within New Zealand, a woman British subject married to an alien shall, upon making a prescribed declaration, be entitled to all political and other rights, powers and privileges and be subject to all obligations, duties and liabilities to which a natural-born British subject is entitled or subject. The legislation was, I understand, framed in this form in order not to conflict with the general policy of maintaining uniformity of nationality legislation within the Empire and does not therefore affect the decision of the Government here to which the right hon. Member refers. As regards the second part of the question, as explained in the reply given by the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs to the hon. Member for Chippenham (Captain Cazalet) on 1st March last, the Government, as at present advised, do not feel that any useful purpose would be served by their raising with the Dominion repre- 974 sentatives the question of further legislation on the subject of the nationality of married women, on the lines suggested in the right hon. Member's question.
§ Sir H. SAMUELAre the Government prepared to consider the introduction of legislation going at least as far as that which has been passed in New Zealand?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe right hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well that it is one thing to be the Government in New Zealand and another thing to be this Government in this place.
Viscountess ASTORWould the Government be prepared to put before the House of Commons the question of the nationality of British women and will they bear in mind that there are literally hundreds of thousands of alien women getting citizenship here whereas some of the very best Englishwomen get no rights at all because they are married to foreigners?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThat is surely a subject for a Debate, in which all sides and all interests will have to be considered.