§ Mr. Priceasked the Home Secretary what requests he has received from Austrian and German members of the Pioneer Corps and other fugitives from Nazi oppression, who are fighting with the United Nations, to become British subjects; and whether his attitude to this is favourable?
1960W
§ Mr. H. MorrisonAs I explained in a reply to a Question by the hon. Member far Cheltenham (Mr. Lipson) on 19th November, there are many foreigners who are giving direct and valuable help to the war effort either by service in His Majesty's Forces or in other ways; and the consideration and investigation of applications from all such persons would involve so much work both for my Department and the police that I should not fed justified in undertaking it at a time when everything possible must be done to economise in man-power. In reply to a Supplementary Question I stated that it would be wrong for me to commit myself now to what is to happen after the war to refugees who were permitted to come to this country in order to escape from the oppression which was obtaining at the time. That being so, no useful purpose would be served by attempting to classify the very large number of applications, the consideration of which has been suspended.