HC Deb 18 September 1950 vol 478 cc1538-9
31. Mr. A. R. W. Low

asked the Minister of Supply whether security precautions taken in atomic and other factories of defence importance include a check on the background of all employees; and how this check is made in the case of men who lived previously in Ireland.

Mr. G. R. Strauss

Investigations are made into the reliability of all staff employed on secret work for my Department, including atomic energy research. It would be against the public interest for me to go into more detail.

Mr. Low

Without imputing the loyalty of these Irishmen, may I ask whether the Minister is quite satisfied that he is able to obtain enough information about the background of the employees coming from Ireland, who have been in this country for only a very short time previously?

Mr. Strauss

We are very careful in looking into the past record and the reliability of people going into secret defence work and unless we are quite sure about it, we do not employ them.