§ LORD BARNBYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government, whether they will state the average 1093 current weekly entry of migrants from all parts into the United Kingdom, also the figure of total believed migration from the United Kingdom to destinations within the Empire for the first nine months of this year, converted into a weekly figure.]
§ LORD AMMONMy Lords, I beg to answer this question on behalf of my noble friend the Leader of the House. The answer to the first part of the question falls under two heads. First, aliens who have been allowed to land in this country for six months or longer averaged 1,908 weekly for the first nine months of 1947. Of these, 465 represented those holding Ministry of Labour permits and their dependants. Secondly, immigrants of British nationality, that is, those who expressed their intention of taking up permanent residence in the United Kingdom for a period of one year or more, and who arrived by sea direct from countries out of Europe, averaged 1,107 weekly during the same period. Other British subjects, travelling by air from all places or by sea from the Continent of Europe, cannot be identified.
As regards emigrants to British countries, the weekly average of persons of British nationality travelling direct by sea was 1,802. Again, those travelling by air, or via the Continent of Europe, cannot be stated. The number of alien emigrants to the oversea Empire is not available, but it is known to be very small.