HL Deb 19 March 1998 vol 587 cc217-8WA
Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are their reasons for deciding not to release to the Public Record Office until the year 2010 file BT 271/83 concerning the release of assets to victims of Nazi persecution; and [HL871]

Whether they will reconsider their decision not to release to the Public Record Office until the year 2010 file BT 271/83 concerning the release of assets to victims of Nazi persecution; and, if not, why not. [HL872]

Lord Haskel

The DTI leads on this subject as the successor to the Board of Trade, which administered the Trading With the Enemy legislation during the Second World War. All the records that are over 30 years old relating to Holocaust victims and the treatment of enemy assets may be seen by the public in the Public Record Office (PRO). In response to a letter from Lord Janner to the Lord Chancellor, the DTI has agreed to consider the early release to the PRO of any records less than 30 years old up to the point where the last Custodian of Enemy Property was wound up in 1988. I am sure that the noble Lord will appreciate that this will take a little time but we will carry this out as soon as current resources permit.

There is a particular problem in reviewing for early release files which contain personal information which may have been provided in confidence. The file which the noble Lord has asked about contains copies of documents relating to individuals as recently as the late 1970s. For this reason, officials require a little time before deciding whether to release the file. This will be done as quickly as possible.

Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will allow public access to all records in their possession concerning the release of assets to victims of Nazi persecution. [HL1013]

Lord Haskel

The DTI leads on this subject as the successor to the Board of Trade, which administered the Trading With the Enemy legislation during the Second World War. All the records that are over 30 years old relating to Holocaust victims and the treatment of enemy assets may be seen by the public in the Public Record Office (PRO). In response to a letter from Lord Janner to the Lord Chancellor, the DTI has agreed to consider the early release to the PRO of any records less than 30 years old up to the point where the last Custodian of Enemy Property was wound up in 1988. I am sure that the noble Lord will appreciate that this will take a little time but we will carry this out as soon as current resources permit.