HL Deb 31 July 1922 vol 51 cc957-8
LORD SYDENHAM

My Lords, I desire to ask This Majesty's Government whether the following figures can be given:

  1. 1. The number of aliens who have been allowed to enter the United Kingdom since the Armistice.
  2. 2. The number of unnaturalised aliens now resident in this country;
  3. 3. The percentage of crimes committed by aliens;
And whether the Jews, who claim to be a nation, and have been recognised as such and provided with a National Home, will henceforth be so registered on entry into this country.

THE EARL OF ONSLOW

In answer to the noble Lord's first Question I can only give him figures from July 1, 1919, to June 30, 1922, as follows:—Aliens who landed in the United Kingdom, 1,001,821; aliens who embarked from the United Kingdom, 982,593. I should explain that this does not include the transmigrants. In reply to the second Question the number (exclusive of Ireland) of unnaturalised aliens now resident in this country is 269,889 over sixteen years of age, representing 91 per cent. of the total population over that age. As to the third Question, I can only reply by giving the proportion of persons received into prison on conviction—namely, 63,205 persons were received into prison on conviction in 1921, of whom 1.8 per cent. were aliens. As regards the last part of the Question, all aliens are registered according to the State to which they belong, whatever their religion. An alien, whether a Jew or not, if a citizen of Palestine would be registered as a Palestinian.

LORD SYDENHAM

As regards the Jews, has it not occurred to the noble Earl that it must be exceedingly distasteful to an ancient people with a wonderful history of their own to be classed as Russians or Poles or Rumanians, who are really peoples of mushroom growth?