§ 89. Colonel Lord HENRY CAVENDISH-BENTINCKasked the Treasurer of the Household, seeing that long internment is having a serious effect on the mental condition of civilian prisoners of war in enemy concentration camps and that their fighting value must now be slight, whether arrangements will be made for the free and unconditional exchange of all civilian prisoners, seeing that the possible disadvantage would be balanced by the fact that some thousands of Germans would leave this country probably never to return?
Mr. HOPEThe mental and physical effects of long internment have been fully recognised in our negotiations for the ex change of civilian prisoners over forty-five years of age, and also in the further negotiations which are pending with regard to certain classes of invalid prisoners under forty-five years of age. The proposal to effect a general exchange of all civilian prisoners, however, would, on account of the respective numbers involved, result in a military disadvantage to this country so great as to forbid its adoption.