§ Major Stourtonasked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to apply Section 5 (1) of the Aliens 412W Restriction Act, 1919, which provides that no alien shall act as master, chief officer, or chief engineer of a British merchant ship to ships registered as British ships at foreign ports or in British colonies and to ships granted British registry elsewhere than in the United Kingdom?
Mr. StanleyThe provision to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers applies only to ships registered in the United Kingdom. British ships cannot be permanently registered at any foreign port, except Shanghai. Provisions as to the nationality of officers of British ships registered in parts of His Majesty's Dominions other than the United Kingdom are primarily matters for the Governments concerned. As at present advised I see no reason to take any steps which might lead to the application of provisions of the kind referred to by the hon. and gallant Member to British ships registered outside the United Kingdom.