§ 50. Mr. HAYESasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount received by His Majesty's Government from Germany as reparation payments; the cost of the Army of Occupation; the number and amount of claims paid out of the 1293 £5,000,000 fund in respect of loss or damage by enemy action; and similar information with respect to the supplementary £300,000 fund?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe amount of reparation payments received by the United Kingdom (apart from payments for cost of occupation, etc.) is approximately £20,000,000; the cost of the British Army of Occupation in the six years since the Armistice has been about £59,000,000, practically all in the earlier years; up to the present date £4,576,057 has been paid out of the £5,000,000 grant in respect of 44,961 claims and £264,128 out of the £300,000 in respect of 23,105 claims.
§ Mr. HAYESAre the Government prepared to consider the question of the disposal of the surplus, approximately £350,000?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLIf there is any saving it would, in the normal course, revert to the Exchequer, but the money has been assigned to a particular purpose, and we must carefully consider its future destination.