§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government how many German nationals are at present 220 employed in the Home Civil Service and in which Departments; further, in view of the public dissatisfaction that any of them should be so employed, will they say what steps they propose to take to curtail and reduce the number so employed.]
§ THE EARL OF LISTOWELMy Lords, I have been asked to reply to the noble Viscount. In answer to the first part of the noble Viscount's question, I have to inform him that the Departments have been required to obtain Treasury consent before employing German nationals as temporary 'Government servants. This consent has been given in eighty-three cases, distributed over twenty-four Departments. With the noble Viscount's permission, I will insert the names of the Departments and the number of German nationals in each Department in the Official Report, as it would take rather a long time to read out the whole list. These Germans have been employed only because they have possessed special qualifications and suitably qualified British subjects were not, at the time, available. Some of them are no longer so employed. The answer to the second part of the noble Viscount's question is that it will probably be necessary to maintain the relevant Defence Regulation in force until the end of the Japanese war and for some short time thereafter. But, like other Defence Regulations, it will be brought to an end at the earliest possible moment. Thereafter, the question whether any aliens need or should be employed in the Crown service will be reconsidered, but no decision to continue their employment can be taken until the statutory prohibition has been removed or modified.
VISCOUNT ELIBANKI wish to thank the noble Earl for his reply and I am glad to leave it in that position until the Defence Regulations are withdrawn. May I ask the noble Earl whether, when that happens, the Government will be prepared to give further information on the subject?
§ THE EARL OF LISTOWELI have no doubt the Government will give further information when the matter has been reconsidered.
§ The Departments concerned, with the number of German nationals serving therein, are as follows:
| Admiralty | 17 |
| Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries | 1 |
| Air Ministry | 3 |
| Ministry of Aircraft Production | 2 |
| British Museum | 2 |
| Colonial Office | 1 |
| Economic Advisory Branch (Foreign Office and Ministry of Economic Warfare) | 8 |
| Ministry of Economic Warfare | 2 |
| Enemy Branch (Foreign Office and Ministry of Economic Warfare) | 3 |
| Ministry of Food | 3 |
| Ministry of Fuel and Power | 3 |
| General Post Office | 2 |
| Ministry of Information | 4 |
| Ministry of Labour and National Service | 6 |
| Lord Chancellor's Dept. (Cambridge) | 1 |
| Natural History Museum | 1 |
| Postal and Telegraph Censorship | 1 |
| Department of Scientific and Industrial Research | 5 |
| Ministry of Supply | 9 |
| Ministry of Town and Country Planning | 1 |
| War Office | 5 |
| Ministry of War Transport | 1 |
| Ministry of Works | 1 |
| Department of Agriculture for Scotland | 1 |
| 83 |