HC Deb 20 December 1954 vol 535 cc235-6W
111. Mr. Renton

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether, in view of the fact that only about 50 per cent. of the emigrants to Australia since 1948 were of British origin, he will consult the Prime Minister of Australia with the view to increasing the flow of migrants from the United Kingdom to Australia.

Mr. Dodds-Parker

The policy of immigration into Australia is a matter for Her Majesty's Government in Australia. Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are always willing to consult the Australian Government about means of encouraging migration from the United Kingdom to Australia and are already co-operating with them, financially and in other ways.

112. Mr. Renton

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether he is aware that only about 25 per cent. of the people who emigrated to Canada in the years 1946 to 1953 were from the British Isles, that only about 2 per cent. were from France, and that at the 1951 census, only 6,700,000 out of a total population of 14 million were of British origin; and whether he will consult the Prime Minister of Canada with a view to increasing the flow of British migration to Canada.

Mr. Dodds-Parker

My hon. Friend's figures are, I believe, broadly accurate. The policy of immigration into Canada is, of course, a matter for Her Majesty's Government in Canada. Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are always willing to consult at any time with the Canadian Government about means of encouraging migration from the United Kingdom to Canada.