Mr. Vaneasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the total number of persons now detained in civil internees camps in the British zone of 341W Austria; and how many of these have been detained for six months or more without a serious interview or interrogation and have not been informed of the charges to be preferred against them.
§ Mr. J. HyndThe total number was about 5,400 on 4th February. None has been detained for six months or more without a serious interview or interrogation and all are free to apply for a further inter-342W view at any time. Four thousand of the internees are detained as members of the organisations declared criminal at Nuremburg and about too are awaiting trial as individual war criminals. The remaining 1,300 are held on security grounds and have had no charges prepared against them; these cases are, however, in process of review and the number held is being steadily reduced.