§ 54. Mr. Francis Noel-Bakerasked the Minister of Labour whether displaced persons from Europe admitted to work in the United Kingdom are now resettled in this country together with their families and dependants; and whether the practice of separating able-bodied wage-earners from their relatives has ceased.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour (Mr. Ness Edwards)Yes, Sir, so far as practicable. The difficulty is to find family accommodation. For that reason the recruitment of men with dependants has in the past been restricted and has now ceased. There are 1,500 men with dependants and a good proportion of these dependants has been brought to this country, either to private accommodation or, as a temporary measure, to family hostels where they can be visited by their husbands. The remainder will come as soon as accommodation is available for them.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerCan the Minister give any estimate of the number of dependants who in fact have been left stranded in displaced persons' camps while their wage-earners are in this country?
§ Mr. Ness EdwardsThe total number of dependants belonging to men who have been brought over here is 3,500. Of these, 1,400 dependants are already here.