§ 20. Wing-Commander Roland Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now announce the date for the mutual abolition of visas between the United Kingdom and France.
§ Mr. BevinIt will not be possible to announce the date until the discussions between the two Governments on technical details have been concluded. I hope, however, that once these working details have been settled a few days will suffice to give full effect to this agreement.
§ Wing-Commander RobinsonDoes the right hon. Gentleman's reply mean that, in spite of announcements on the subject, no agreement has been signed?
§ Mr. BevinThat is quite true. When it is a question of abolishing visas at the end of a war, there are all sorts of things, security reasons and others, to be taken into account. All this has to be discussed with other Governments individually. I am pressing on with negotiations, and as soon as an agreement is arrived at, I will publish it.
Lieut.-Colonel DowerIn view of those very successful negotiations, will the right hon. Gentleman endeavour to obtain the same facilities with other countries?
§ Mr. BevinCertainly. I am already in touch with Belgium and Holland, and we are also hoping to extend the negotiations, but hon. Members will appreciate that in the terribly disturbed state of Europe, with millions of displaced persons, and all the other things one has to contend with, this matter has to be-handled a little carefully.
§ Viscount Hinchingbrooke; Will the Foreign Secretary tell us whether he is meeting any resistance from other countries on the principle?
§ Mr. BevinThere is no resistance at all in the countries I have been talking to. Everybody is anxious to get over this difficulty, but everybody is conscious that one cannot just wipe it out, and have no other control. I do not want to create a situation in which we abolish visas and then have to ask the Home Office to increase the police control in such a way that entry is delayed at the port on arrival.