(Harrow East) (Con): On 9 July 1944, Lily Ebert
arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau with her mother, brother and
younger sister, who were all murdered in the gas chambers.
Somehow Lily escaped. She dedicated her life to spreading
awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust and recounting her
story, and hundreds of millions of people around the world have
seen videos of her reciting her story. She died earlier this
week. Despite the efforts of the Nazis, she leaves behind 10
grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren and one
great-great-grandchild; so the attempts of the Nazis to wipe out
her family failed. But we have a problem. Lily dedicated her life
to spreading the word about what happened in the Holocaust, and
we send condolences to her family. As the Holocaust survivors
sadly pass away, it is even more vital that we get the Holocaust
memorial and the education centre built alongside this place. The
Holocaust Memorial Bill is going through its stages in
Parliament. Will the Leader of the House do everything she can to
speed up that process, so that before the last Holocaust survivor
sadly leaves us, they can witness the monument to making sure
that it never happens again?
The Leader of the House of Commons (): I thank the hon. Member for
that very important tribute to Lily Ebert. She did indeed
dedicate her life to ensuring that the next generations are
educated on the true horrors of the Holocaust, so that they never
happen again. The hon. Member has spent most of his parliamentary
career educating the rest of us on these important matters, and
pushing forward the Holocaust memorial centre here in
Westminster. He knows that that Bill continues its passage in the
Lords. I was very pleased to ensure that it was included in this
Government's King's Speech programme and had early passage in the
other place. Hopefully, it will receive Royal Assent at the
earliest opportunity, should both Houses wish it to.
