§ 2. Mr. William Teelingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will reconsider the granting of visas to Dr. Stanislav Heller, of Cechoslovakia, his wife and son, Milos, owing to the exceptional circumstances of his case.
§ Mr. EdeI have carefully considered this case, but I have been unable to find in it any exceptional circumstances which would justify the grant of visas to Dr. Heller and his wife and son.
§ Mr. TeelingIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that it has always been the custom of this country to do what we can to help people to come to it, so that they may escape from real tragic conditions, and has he been given the fullest details on this subject, because it seems to me to be a very tragic case?
§ Mr. EdeI have given very great care to this case and both the hon. Gentleman the Member for Brighton (Mr. Teeling) and another hon. and gallant Member who is also in the House, have brought the details to my attention. I have carefully examined them. These people are now able to reside either in France or in Austria where they are under no persecution and where, so far as one can see, they are as well off as they would be in this country.
§ Commander NobleWould there he any time at a later date when this gentleman might try again?
§ Mr. EdeI say nothing about the future at all, because one does not know what the situation in Europe might be, but I can assure the House that if every person were admitted, who had the same claims to come here as these people, the population of this country would be enormously increased.
§ Mr. TeelingIs it not true that one of the sons of this family was already in England and that the rest of the family were more or less influenced by the representative of the British Council, who said it would be possible for them to be reunited in this country?
§ Mr. EdeI cannot say what the representative of the British Council said, and, departmentally, I am not responsible for him. There is a son in this country who asked to come here for two years for the purpose of carrying on studies. Permission was granted—as I grant a large number of visas for people who want to come here to pursue courses of study. He then made representations desiring to stay a further year and that was given. I cannot have concessions like that used as an excuse for bringing in the whole family.