HC Deb 23 July 1942 vol 382 cc186-7W
Wing-Commander James

asked the Home Secretary how many of the seven men sentenced for black market activities at the Central Criminal Court, on 10th July, were alien by birth; how many had been naturalised: how and when Seymour Sidney, stated to have been born ins Russia, became a British subject; and whether any of these persons have been referred to the Advisory Committee for the consideration of the revocation of their certificates of naturalisation?

Mr. H. Morrison

In the case to which my hon. Friend refers there were 10 persons convicted, of whom six were sentenced both to imprisonment and fines and four were fined only. Of the 10 men six are natural-born British subjects and two are aliens, one being of French and the other of Rumanian nationality. As regards the remaining two, Sidney became a British subject at the age of 12 when in 1901 his father was naturalised and the son, being an infant and resident with his father in the United Kingdom, acquired British nationality by virtue of the provisions of the Naturalisation Act, 1870, which has now been repealed. The remaining man was born in Poland and naturalised in 1928. The offence in his case was not keeping accurate records as required by the Food Control Order. He was fined £50 but not sentenced to imprisonment. The circumstances of this case are not such as to bring it within the provisions of the law relating to the revocation of certificates.

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