§ Sir R. Glynasked the Home Secretary what is the estimated number of aliens in the United Kingdom, and of what nationality; and how many of them have entered the country since September, 1938?
§ Sir J. AndersonThe number of aliens registered with the police is 238,074. A return dividing this figure according to nationalities is appended. The periodical returns of passenger traffic show the number of aliens who have come into and gone out of the United Kingdom during a given period; but to ascertain which of the aliens who are in the country on a given date had come in during a given period would require a very laborious examination of all the records. A large proportion of the aliens in the country on any given date are, of course, visitors who will be leaving within a few days, weeks or months. Separate figures are kept of persons known to be refugees, and these show that about 45,000 German, Austrian and Czech refugees have entered the country since September, 1938.
Nationality. 1939. American 13,665 Austrian 11,989 Belgian 4,207 Bulgarian 79 Chinese 2,652 Czecho-Slovak 7,930 Danish 3,162 Dutch 5,668 Finnish 447 French 11,613 German 62,244 Greek 1,607 Hungarian 3,965 Italian 19,127 Japanese 966 Norwegian 2,220 Polish 8,776 Portuguese 470 Rumanian 2,692 Russian 47,664 Serbian 509 Spanish 3,039 Swedish 2,691 Swiss 10,088 Turkish 866 Others 9,738 238,074
§ Mr. McGovernasked the Home Secretary whether the aliens tribunals are permitted to receive evidence of an anonymous character against alien refugees; if this evidence and the source of the evidence is put before applicants who are summoned before such tribunals; whether 1595W individuals can be interned on such evidence without an opportunity to rebut it; and if legal defence will be permitted?
§ Sir J. AndersonIt is open to the tribunals to consider any evidence which may be placed before them. Having regard to the composition of the tribunals, I am satisfied that untested evidence of an anonymous nature would not be allowed to influence their decisions. It is not open to an alien to employ a barrister or solicitor as his advocate.
§ Mr. Hicksasked the Home Secretary whether he will state the number of foreign nationals engaged in domestic employment in this country at the present time; and whether the regulations that no employer may engage any alien except with the authority of the Minister of Labour, who would only grant a permit if there is a shortage of British labour in that particular industry, applies to domestic employment?
§ Sir J. AndersonThe statement which I made on 4th September about the employment of aliens related to aliens who had been admitted to this country on condition that they should not take employment. When such persons are permitted to take employment it is necessary that they should be restricted to occupations in which the Ministry of Labour find that there is a shortage of labour. Until recently the demand for domestic servants has been in excess of the supply and there has been no difficulty in allowing suitable foreign women to enter into domestic service. The question whether in present conditions certain restrictions are desirable to ensure that the position of British domestics who are unemployed shall be in no way prejudiced is now under consideration by my Department and the Ministry of Labour. I regret that no statistics are available showing the total number of foreigners engaged in domestic employment in this country at the present time. Many of those so engaged have been here for many years.