Volume 5 1936~1939


Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 106 NAI 2006/39

Confidential report from John W. Dulanty to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin)
(No. 50) (Secret)

London, 29 November 1937

Lord Hartington1 told me on Friday afternoon last that the report of the British Inter-Departmental Committee on Migration to Great Britain from the Irish Free State was now finished.

They feel that they ought to publish the report now. It will be remembered that a number of questions have been put by members of the British Parliament asking when this report will be published.

The British Government felt however that if we were about to publish the report of our Inter-Departmental Committee on the same question they, the British, would be willing to consider holding their own report so that it might be published along with ours. I thanked Lord Hartington for the suggestion but said I doubted whether the report of our Committee would be ready for some little time yet.

Lord Hartington further said that if there were any phrases or forms of expression in their report which we would like to see modified he would be willing to consider this. The facts as stated in the report would of course have to stand. I have now received and enclose a copy2 of the report in question dated 25th November. It will be observed that the Committee see no reason to interfere with the present system of recruiting certain types of labour from Ireland for work in England.

[copy letter unsigned]
High Commissioner

.

1 The Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs.

2 Not printed.