HC Deb 05 July 1917 vol 95 cc1281-3
45. Mr. BUTCHER

asked the Prime Minister whether it is proposed to prevent relatives of British officer prisoners of war from sending parcels direct to such prisoners and to regulate the contents of such parcels; and whether, before any new Regulations become operative, the Government will issue a White Paper giving the details of the proposed change and the reasons for such change, and will give the House an opportunity of expressing their opinion on the proposals?

Mr. BONAR LAW

Regulations on this subject will be published immediately. They will not, however, come into force until 1st August, and there will certainly be an opportunity on the next Vote of Credit of discussing the matter in this House during the present month.

Colonel BURN

May I ask why it is necessary to go against the wishes of many officers who are prisoners of war in Germany, and who infinitely prefer the present system to be carried on, and have asked that it should?

Mr. BONAR LAW

I think we had better wait and see the exact Regulations. This has not been done without very careful thought by the War Office and, indeed, by the Cabinet.

Colonel BURN

Will the right hon. Gentleman satisfy himself that the arrangements of the Central Committee in London are run on business lines, and that those parcels will get delivered satisfactorily to the prisoners in Germany?

Mr. BONAR LAW

I agreed to the decision after hearing the case in the belief that would happen.

General Sir IVOR PHILIPPS

Has the right hon. Gentleman read the Report of the Joint Committee on the Central Committee's work, and is he satisfied that it is desirable to hand over the care of our officers to the Central Committee, who are shown in this Report to have inflicted such hardship and suffering on our soldier prisoners of war in Germany?

Mr. BONAR LAW

My right hon. Friend put a question of that kind the other day. I do not agree with him as to the incompetence of that Committee.

Mr. FABER

May I ask whether under the interpretation of the new rules this old arrangement still holds good?

Mr. PETO

May I ask if the new Regulations; will apply to officers of the mercantile marine, and have the associations which have hitherto catered to their needs with the utmost satisfaction been consulted before the arrangements were made?

Mr. BONAR LAW

That is a new point to me.

49. Colonel Sir CHARLES SEELY

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been drawn to the general dissatisfaction caused by the non-reception of parcels by prisoners of war since the. New Regulation made last December; whether the British representatives at The Hague are fully informed as to this; and whether they will endeavour to obtain per mission for parcels to be sent direct by relatives as previously?

Mr. JAMES HOPE (Lord of the Treasury)

I am aware that there has been dissatisfaction on this subject, but the whole question has been fully investigated by a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament, to whose Report I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend. The British delegates at The Hague were fully conversant with the matter. The former system of allowing prisoners to receive parcels from private sources led to much inconvenience and abuse, and it is not proposed to revert to it.

Sir C. SEELY

Will the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer take note of that in regard to his answer to a previous question as to making some arrangements for officer prisoners of war, seeing the complete failure with regard to soldier prisoners of war?

Sir I. PHILIPPS

Can my hon. Friend now tell me whether he has received the Report of the Joint Committee, and whether the recommendations of the Committee to remove the grievances under which our prisoners of war are now suffering are going to be adopted; whether, in regard to that Joint Committee, it is not necessary to say whether or not its Report has been adopted?

Mr. SPEAKER

The hon. and gallant Member should give notice of that question.