HC Deb 18 January 1945 vol 407 cc367-8
80. Commander Sir Archibald Southby

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Latvian, Lithuanian and Esthonian citizens have been admitted into this country as refugees or otherwise since September, 1939.

Mr. H. Morrison

Separate figures for these nationalities are not available, but the number of passengers of Latvian, Lithuanian, Esthonian and Finnish nationality granted leave to land in the United Kingdom from September, 1939, to December, 1944, both inclusive, is 1,974; 1,468 persons of these nationalities are known to have left the country during the same period as passengers. In addition there are others who arrived as passengers but left as members of ships' crews, statistics of which are not kept.

Sir A. Southby

Can the right hon. Gentleman say what proportion of the 21,000-odd Latvians and Lithuanians who escaped to Sweden have applied for entry into this country, seeing that they are nearly all small people such as fishermen, workmen, peasants and others?

Mr. Morrison

I am afraid I cannot.