HC Deb 22 February 1945 vol 408 cc976-7W
Dr. Little

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether workers from Northern Ireland in Great Britain will, in future, receive exit permits to enable them to visit their homes and friends without having to apply to their employers for release notes in order to have their permits stamped, as this arrangement is proving, in many cases, unhelpful.

Mr. H. Morrison

Applicants for exit permits in the class of case referred to are required to produce documentary evidence in support of their applications; and the present arrangement, which was made in agreement with the Ministry of Labour and National Service some years ago for the convenience of Northern Ireland workers wishing to pay temporary visits to their homes, is that if a leave certificate from the employer is produced, the Permit Offices will ordinarily grant exit permits without further inquiry into such matters, for instance, as the genuineness of the application or the applicant's National Service obligations. This arrangement is widely known to employers and workers, and so far as I am aware, has worked smoothly and without cause for complaint.

Dr. Little

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that Northern Ireland citizens working in Great Britain and others are complaining about the excessive delay in the issue of travel permits granted on compassionate grounds; and whether, in view of these complaints, he will give immediate instructions to have the issue of these permits expedited.

Mr. H. Morrison

I do not accept the implication that there is avoidable delay in dealing with cases of real urgency. Special care is always taken by the Passport and Permit Office to deal rapidly with cases of this character; but applications are often made for exceptional treatment on personal grounds of a non-urgent character where it is necessary, for instance, to obtain confirmation of the facts from Ireland, or to establish whether the applicant is free from National Service obligations in this country. I am always ready to look into any specific complaint, but I could not agree that exit permits should be granted without proper inquiry.