§ 10. Mr. Awberyasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to obtain the opinion of welfare workers and the people from Tristan da Cunha on a suitable place where they can settle down as a community; and if he will give an assurance that no steps will be taken about a place without full consultation with these people, and that in the meantime sufficient State funds will be made available to them to obtain a reasonable measure of comfort.
§ 14 and 15. Sir B. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) whether he is aware that the refugees from Tristan da Cunha are in need of help; and what steps he has taken to bring some of the necessities, as well as the comforts, of life to these people;
(2) what steps he is taking to provide good housing for the refugees from Tristan da Cunha; and if he will investigate the conditions under which they are living at present.
§ Mr. MaudlingI am happy to be able to state that some fifty married quarters at the former R.A.F. Station at Calshot have been offered by the Air Ministry for the use of the Tristan islanders. I am particularly grateful to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Air for 1116 making it possible to meet the needs of the islanders in this way. Arrangements will have to be made for the furnishing of the houses, and the move to Calshot should be completed well before the end of January. The other married quarters will be occupied by R.A.F. families.
§ Mr. AwberyIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that I am very glad that he is carrying out his promise, made a long time ago, to look after these people while they were in this country? However, is he aware that since putting down this Question I have been assured that these people cannot settle in this country because of the climate and other circumstances? Will he make a survey of the island again to see whether it is possible for these people to go back to their own homes and rehabilitate themselves in their own places rather than in this country?
§ Mr. MaudlingThere is a later Question about the state of affairs in the island itself. This accommodation has been studied by the Administrator, the parson, some of the islanders and my own officials, and they are all satisfied that, with the employment prospects and the sea nearby, it represents a satisfactory permanent arrangement.
§ Sir B. JannerWhy has it taken all this time to arrange for suitable accommodation for these people? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Rev. Philip Lindsay, who was a missionary in Tristan, was horrified when he went to see the conditions under which these people were living? Will the right hon. Gentleman also answer that part of my Question in which I ask what is being done about supplying suitable funds to these people to meet their needs? Is he aware that a prescription was given to one person who had to travel three miles to get it dispensed? What is he doing about that sort of thing?
§ Mr. MaudlingThe hon. Gentleman's question about an individual prescription is rather too detailed for him to expect me to answer it without notice. We have made considerable provision for these people in this country. This is a unique problem. Their resistance to disease and their adaptation to conditions in a modern industrial community are problems which we have to 1117 look at very carefully, not rushing into decisions which would be foolish and not in the interests of the islanders.
§ Mr. G. BrownAs I was there this morning seeing these excellent people, will the right hon. Gentleman take from the House a message of appreciation to the Administrator, the padre, and the volunteers of the W.V.S. and the Red Cross for the obviously magnificent job which has been done? As in many outstanding respects—I will not detail them now—the present quarters are clearly inadequate, will the right hon. Gentleman make sure that they get houses more suitable for our climate as soon before the end of January as he can possibly arrange? Can he assure us that the number of fifty married quarters he has talked about means that there are adequate resources for the Tristan da Cunhans currently at Merstham?
§ Mr. MaudlingI am grateful for what the right hon. Gentleman has said and I entirely agree with his first remarks. We will certainly make these accommodation arrangements as fast as we can, but it is my impression that they should be satisfactory for all the islanders.
§ 17. Mr. Sorensenasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what responsibility he exercises for the well-being of the evacuees from Tristan da Cunha; whether they have settled down in their new environment; if any attempt has been or will be made to salvage any of their small possessions left on the island; whether the volcanic or seismic disturbances have abated; and whether the evacuees will be permitted to return to the island when it is considered that the phase of disturbance has passed and volcanic recurrence is unlikely.
§ Mr. MaudlingI am deeply conscious of my responsibilities for the Tristanians' welfare. I would say that in the circumstances they have settled remarkably well in their temporary home at Pendell Camp, and most of the able-bodied men and young women are out at work. It may be possible to recover a few of the possessions which could not be retrieved by H.M.S. "Leopard" if an expedition organised by the Royal Society visits the island in the New Year. H.M.S. "Jaguar", which made a complete circuit of Tristan on 16th December, reported that volcanic activity continues, 1118 and I should doubt if it will ever be safe for the islanders to return.
§ Mr. SorensenIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the whole House has deep sympathy with these islanders and desires every effort to be made on their behalf? Do the evacuees have some kind of committee on which they can discuss their affairs and make formal representations to the right hon. Gentleman, or elsewhere? Does he not agree that that is the best procedure they can adopt at this juncture, especially in view of the possibility of never going back to their old homes?
§ Mr. MaudlingI doubt whether a committee is needed for a small community of this kind, whose members have known each other for many years. I am sure that the established leaders, the Administrator and the padre, and so on, who speak for them can speak for them in full knowledge of their wishes.