§ 15. Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet in a position to make a statement on the future of refugee industrialists, many of whom were encouraged and invited to come here from the Contined. during the years 1933 to 1939 by the Government to help solve the unemployment problem then existing.
§ Mr. EdeI regret that I cannot go beyond the statement which I made last Thursday relating to the proposal to resume investigation of applications for naturalisation from foreigners who, in various ways, have special claims to consideration.
§ Miss RathboneWhile recognising that delays in dealing with naturalisation may be inevitable because of the great numbers involved, cannot the right hon. Gentleman expedite his decision as to giving permission to the refugee industrialists to continue the work of their industries on a permanent basis, seeing that their numbers are under 1,000 and they are impeded in their planning by the uncertainty as to the future of their industries?
§ Mr. EdeI cannot accept the hon. Lady's estimate of the numbers. The statement I made last week was quite clear and, I hope, sympathetic towards the claims of those people. I must ask that I be allowed to consider individual applications on their merits, because British citizenship is not a thing to be conferred unless one is certain that the person applying for it is not merely an industrialist, but is in other ways suitable for recognition.