§ Mr. HANNONasked the Home Secretary if he has any information to show whether the increase in the number of aliens landed in this country over the period of nine months ended 30th September, 1933, as compared with the same period last year, is due to the recent action of the German Government in relation to its Jewish citizens; and can he state the exact number of immigrants who are described as German-Jewish refugees?
§ Sir J. GILMOURThe number of aliens coming from all parts of the world including tourists, business visitors, students and others during the nine months ended 30th September last was 279,826 as against 278,351 last year, the difference between the two years being only 1,475. How many of the persons coming here from Germany have been affected by conditions prevailing in that country, it is impossible to state from statistics collected from the ports, but approximately 1,250 persons who have arrived from Germany during this year have been granted permission to prolong their stay for periods of varying duration as a result of applications which indicate that present conditions in Germany are the main reason for their desire not to return at the present time.
§ Sir P. DAWSONasked the Home Secretary the number of Germans Who have been admitted to this country since the 1st January last; how many Germans have been naturalised since that date; what conditions are imposed on foreigners entering this country as to their means of subsistence and as to the time they can remain in this country; and under what conditions are they allowed to take up employment in this country?
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§ Sir J. GILMOURAs regards the first part of the question, I would refer to the answer which I have already given to my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Mr. Rhys). Any foreigner seeking admission to this country is required under the Aliens Order, 1920, to satisfy the immigration officer that he is in a position to support himself and his dependents and, if he is desirous of entering the service of an employer in the United Kingdom, leave to land cannot be granted to him unless he is in possession of a permit issued to his prospective employer by the Minister of Labour. If an immigration officer thinks fit, he may, in granting leave to land, attach a time condition limiting the alien's stay in the country. Genuine visitors are often landed without an express condition attached to their passport; they are, however, expected to leave the country in accordance with their statements made on arrival, and if they fail may be required to do so. An alien who is given leave to land as a visitor is not at liberty to take up employment or otherwise establish himself in this country without my consent. On any application for employment which is made to me, my practice is to consult my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour. While the Government has every desire to accord sympathetic and liberal treatment to persons who have been obliged through force of circumstances to leave Germany and have been admitted to this country as visitors, the policy of the Government, as announced on several occasions, is to give first consideration to the interests of our own people and no consent to employment is given unless it is clear that no displacement of British subjects will result. As regards naturalization—except in certain special cases, such as those of British-born widows, applications can only be considered if the applicant has resided in this country for five years at least. The number of certificates granted during the period in question to persons of German nationality, other than British-born women, is 128, but none of these are recent immigrants.
§ Sir P. DAWSONasked the Home Secretary how many Germans since 1st January have taken up appointments as doctors, teachers, or lecturers in our hospitals, colleges, schools, research de- 1133W partments, etc.; and under what conditions and for what length of time have these appointments been sanctioned?
§ Sir J. GILMOURAbout 80 Germans have been permitted to take posts as teachers in schools: the number is not in excess of those admitted in previous years. About 50 of these have come for short periods under a special agreement arranged by the Board of Education for a mutual interchange of German and British teachers, and most of the remainder are teaching German in schools which require a German teacher. As regards the other classes, about 130 research workers, medical and other, have found temporary accommodation in universities. With a very few possible exceptions these persons hold no formal appointment; they are merely given facilities to continue their research work for the time being in the hospitals or laboratories, and are not displacing British subjects.
§ Sir P. DAWSONasked the Home Secretary under what conditions was the German school, recently established in the South of England, allowed to be started; whether all the teachers, pupils and staff, or what proportion of them, are of German nationality; and for what period and under what conditions was permission granted for the establishment of this school?
§ Sir J. GILMOURThe school referred to was obliged to close down in Germany because the majority of the children attending it were of Jewish race, and permission was given for its transfer to this country in order that these children might be able to continue their education in England, the cost of their education being borne by their parents in Germany. In addition to the two principals, who are German women, permission was given to bring over six of the teaching staff who are Germans and one German matron, but it was stipulated that any domestic staff engaged should be British and that by the spring of next year at least six British mistresses would be engaged.
§ Lord SCONEasked the Home Secretary what conditions govern the admission to this country of political refugees from Germany; if he will give, to the nearest convenient date, the number of such refugees who have been granted, and refused, 1134W permission to land; and whether he is satisfied that no undesirable aliens have gained access to this country by representing themselves to be refugees?
§ Sir J. GILMOURPersons claiming to be refugees from Germany are subject to examination at the ports in the same way as foreigners coming from any other country; they are dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the Aliens Order which I have explained in the answer which I have given to—day to the hon. Member for West Lewisham (Sir P. Dawson), and if they fail to satisfy the immigration officer may be refused leave to land. As regards the numbers who have been admitted as visitors, I would refer to the reply already given. The total number of Germans arriving from all parts of the world who have been refused leave to land during the nine months ended 30th September was 293, as compared with 184 for the same period last year. It is not possible to say how many of these came from Germany and regarded themselves as refugees. I am fully satisfied that the system of immigration control is adequate to secure that undesirable aliens, whether or not they represent themselves to be refugees, are not admitted to this country.