§ Sir E. Graham-Littleasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now expedite the return of the wives and children of British subjects in Malaya who are anxious that their families should rejoin them and who have been unable to secure passages for them from England to Malaya, an example of which has been submitted to him of a graduate of London University on the staff of the College of Medicine in Singapore who has been separated from his wife and children since 1942.
Mr. Creech JonesEvery effort is being made to provide passages for the return to Malaya of the wives and families of British residents there as speedily as shipping can be made available. Some 184 passages to Malaya for wives and children have been arranged by the Colonial Office since 1st January, and more will be arranged as further ships become available. The records in the Colonial Office show that the officer referred to in the Question joined his wife in Australia in October, 1945, and that they travelled together to the United Kingdom in February, 1946. He left this country for Malaya in May, 1946. His wife applied for a passage in August but stated that she would not be ready to embark before the end of September. She left this country for Malaya on 20th January.