§ 37. Mr. Gallacherasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why Huri Serdyukov, a Soviet child abducted by the Germans is still kept in Germany by the British Red Cross despite appeals by his mother, who is living in the U.S.S.R., for his return.
Mr. McNeilYuri Serdyukov is a child of indeterminate nationality who was evacuated together with other children, mostly of Latvian origin, from a children's home near Riga in 1944 and is now in care of the International Refugee Organisation in Germany. The Soviet authorities have repeatedly claimed his return as a Soviet citizen but despite 3W repeated requests by the British authorities, the Soviet authorities have not produced the birth certificate of the child nor any acceptable evidence that his mother is alive.
38. Mr. Gallagherasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many Soviet children are still held in the British zone in Germany; and what efforts are being made by the Government to return them to the U.S.S.R.
Mr. McNeilIn reply to the first part of the Question, there are at present in the British zone of Germany, 12 children who may be of Soviet citizenship. With regard to the second part of the Question, these children are at present under the care of the International Refugee Organisation who, in co-operation with the British and Soviet authorities, are engaged in endeavouring to establish their identity and nationality and to trace their parents.