§ Mr. A. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give an assurance that facilities will not be given to the Italian Government to enrol natives usually residing in the Sudan, Kenya and British Somaliland for military purposes or for labour corps work in Ethiopia; and to what extent hospital accommodation has had to be provided for sick and injured natives returned from Ethiopia?
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Mr. M. MacDonaldThe Sudan aspect of this question is a matter for my Noble Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
As regards the recruitment by the Italian East African authorities of British protected Somalis and natives of Kenya for their local military forces, the answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. I have received no request from the Italian authorities for facilities to be granted for the recruitment of native labour from either of these territories.
As regards the second part of the question, so far as I am aware no sick and wounded have returned from Italian East Africa to Kenya or Somaliland, for whom it has been necessary to provide hospital accommodation.