§ 43. Mr. Gunterasked the Secretary of State for War if permission will be given for prisoners of war being entertained by civilians on Christmas Day to remain overnight with their hosts, where no transport facilities are available to return them to their camps.
§ Mr. ShinwellYes, Sir. I will, with permission, circulate details in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. Skeffington-LodgeCan my right hon. Friend tell me whether the five-mile limit is to apply in these cases, and 1784 if so, will he consider relaxing that particular restriction?
§ Mr. ShinwellYes, I am relaxing the five-mile limit, so far as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are concerned. The limit will be 100 miles, and the concessions are substantial.
§ Following are the details:
§ Prisoners of war who are eligible may be allowed to be absent from their camps or hostels between 2 p.m. on 24th December, and 6 p.m. on 26th December in order to accept invitations to stay with members of the public. Such invitations must be addressed to the Commandants of the prisoners of war concerned and must state the addresses at which they will be accommodated. The hosts must accept all responsibility for the prisoners of war who are their guests, including prepayment of their fares, if the prisoners of war are unable to pay the cost of their journey. The addresses to which prisoners of war may go will be limited to a radius of 100 miles from their camps or hostels. This will avoid too great a strain on public transport services at this period.