HL Deb 30 October 1945 vol 137 cc571-3

5.7 p.m.

THE EARL OF CORK AND ORRERY

had the following Notice on the Paper:

To ask His Majesty's Government—

  1. (a) Whether under the existing law those Irish men and women who have, as volunteers, assisted in the war effort, either by service in the Armed Forces, or by war work in a civilian capacity, and who thereby have become entitled to full benefit under the Unemployment Insurance Acts, will, if they return to Ireland, cease to be legally entitled to unemployment benefit;
  2. (b) Whether, if this is so, and having regard to the insurance contributions paid, His Majesty's Government will make suitable arrangements with the Government of Eire for the formation of a special fund, to be administered in Eire, for the purpose of preventing, or mitigating, any hardship amongst those Irish volunteers who have done valuable war service in the Allied cause

The noble Earl said: My Lords, I beg to ask the questions standing in my name.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR

My Lords, the matter about which the noble Earl asks for information is at present under consideration. I ask the noble Earl if he will be good enough to agree to put his question down for a later date, say in December.

THE EARL OF CORK AND ORRERY

I thank the Lord Chancellor for his answer to my question, and of course, in view of it, I shall not press for any further information to-day, but I shall look forward to his giving me a fuller answer at a later date in the near future. I say "the near future" because I think it is important that there should be some speed shown in coming to a decision. Men are now being demobilized and soldiers discharged, and they ought to be able to leave the Colours with some idea as to what the future has in prospect for them.

It is all the more important because of two announcements which appeared quite recently, since I put down the question. The first is that the British Government are taking steps under the Emergency Powers Act to return workers to Eire, the jobs they are doing being required for ex-Service men. The second is that a number of men from the South of Ireland who have served in the Eire Army and have left that Army to join the British Army, are stigmatized as deserters and are liable to severe penalties if they return to their own homes. That is a question for the Government of Eire and the people of Eire, and I am not going to discuss the merits or otherwise of that case. It means, however, that those men cannot go back without facing those penalties, and they may wish to remain in this country. They were deserters from the Irish Army but they were volunteers for the British Army. They face an uncertain future. There are no jobs being kept open for them as there are for volunteers from this country, as they deserted from their own Army. So I ask that when these matters are being considered, those men at least, if they wish to do so, should be able to remain in this country and find jobs here alongside the men with whom they fought in the land for which they fought.

VISCOUNT ADDISON

I can assure the noble Earl that we shall give very sympathetic attention to what he has been saying.