§ Mr. NIELDasked the President of the Local Government Board what is the number of Belgian refugees now in this country, giving the separate figures for men, women, and children, respectively; what proportion of the men are of military age and capable of military service; and can any information be given as to what number have, since the commencement of the War, returned for military duty?
Mr. SAMUELThe Registrar-General estimates the number of Belgian refugees (not including soldiers) in this country at the present time at 180,000. This total consists of:—
There are, in addition, about 18,000 wounded and convalescent soldiers. The information at my disposal is not sufficient to enable me to reply to the second part of the question. With respect to the last part of the question, it would not be in the public interest to state the numbers.
- 65,000 men,
- 69,000 women, and
- 46,000 children (under sixteen).