Viscountess Davidsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange for steps to be taken at the Passport and Permit Office to facilitate the visits overseas of the representatives of British firms to enable them to study market conditions abroad, so as to prepare for the active resumption of export trade.
§ Mr. PeakeThe Passport and Permit Office is concerned only with the issue of passports and of exit peemits, and is not responsible either for providing transport or for obtaining permission to enter the country overseas. Persons who wish to travel abroad on business of national importance, whether in connection with export trade surveys or otherwise, are normally eligible for exit permits if supported by a certificate from a Government Department that the journey is in the national interest. This rule is, however, necessarily suspended for the time being in the case of proposed journeys to countries which are still the scene of military operations or under military administration, and to which the Allied Military Authorities at present feel unable to permit the entry of persons for business purposes not connected with the conduct of the war.