§ 59. Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many refugees are still being sup ported in Western Germany; what is the cost of their maintenance; and who is responsible for the cost.
§ Mr. YoungerAccording to the latest reports of the International Refugee Organisation there are 143,689 refugees in Western Germany whose cases are still open for I.R.O. services of all kinds. The number of those who actually receive support from I.R.O. cannot be stated accurately since the numbers change with fluctuations in resettlement, employment in Germany, and so on. The present figure is in the region of 53,000 of whom many are actually in process of resettlement.
The I.R.O. estimate for care, maintenance and similar assistance to refugees in Germany for the period 1st July, 1950, to 30th September, 1951, is nearly 10 million dollars. This cost is borne by the I.R.O. budget. The German authorities themselves are now responsible for looking after many refugees previously supported by I.R.O. and also for all refugees of German origin.