asked the Secretary of State for War how many members of the Polish forces are held in detention under his authority, such detention being illegal, pending the passing of the Polish Resettlement Bill; and for how long, for what offences, in what places and under what conditions each of them has been detained.

According to the latest figures available, 13 members of the Polish Forces in this country are serving sentences of detention, or imprisonment. The majority are in the Military Detention Barracks, Gillingham, where they are detained under the same conditions as British soldiers serving sentences. I am sending my hon. Friend details of the offences for which they were convicted, and the sentences awarded in each case.

Is my right hon. Friend aware, and could he say for how long he has been aware, that this detention is in itself quite illegal, and that these men could be released at once if they applied for writs of habeas corpus?

I do not think any useful purpose will be served by going into the arguments discussed when the Bill was before the House.