HC Deb 24 October 1945 vol 414 c2143W
Viscount Hinchingbrooke

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Gibraltarian evacuees still remain in Northern Ireland; and what is the expected date of their return.

Mr. George Hall

Of the some 12,000 Gibraltarians evacuated to the United Kingdom in 1940, 3,600 still remain in Northern Ireland. 460 of these will return to Gibraltar as soon as a ship can be found to take them. It is hoped that a further 250 will have left before the end of the year. It will, however, be impossible to repatriate the remaining evacuees before the completion of a plan of permanent building in the Colony under which, if all goes well, accommodation will become progressively available from about this time next year.