§ 52. Mr. Sorensenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the consideration he is giving to the facilities for the further acceptance of refugees into this country, he has taken account of the hospitality offered to Jewish and other refugees, including a share of their rations, by many hundreds of private families.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Peake)Account will, of course, be taken of every relevant consideration but, as my hon. Friend is, no doubt, aware, the difficulty of providing in this country accommodation and food for refugees is not the only, or even the most important, of the many formidable obstacles which confront His Majesty's Government and the Government of the United States of America in carrying out their joint policy of affording to the victims of Nazi oppression all possible relief and assistance which is consistent with the successful prosecution of the war.
§ Mr. SorensenCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether his Department has compiled a list of these offers so that they may be used when opportunity occurs?
§ Mr. PeakeWe have had a number of letters in the Home Office offering to share rations and so forth, but, of course, this is not, as I pointed out, the most formidable obstacle in the way of the admission of further refugees.
Miss RathboneIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the numbers who could get through are so small that they could be brought over without much difficulty, and that, if there are existing hard cases where wives and children already here have to be a burden on the public, it is because the husband and father is not allowed to come here?
§ Mr. PeakeI am sure that my hon. Friend will have an opportunity of expressing her views on all these questions in the Debate to-day, on the Report stage of the Supplementary Estimate.