§ 10 Sir BASIL PETOasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether the Soviet Government has presented a schedule of Russian counterclaims to the claims of His Majesty's Government;
(2) whether, in presenting British claims against the Soviet Government, he will see that the claims of British subjects for bonds and other Russian securities are separate from the schedule of Government claims; and whether, in preparing the schedule of the claims of 389 British subjects, he will see that it is prepared in consultattion with the British Union of Russian Bondholders;
(3) whether the Government have prepared a schedule of British claims; whether this schedule has been presented to the Soviet Ambassador; and whether the schedule of British claims includes the bonds and other Russian securities held by British subjects?
Mr. A. HENDERSONNo schedule of the counter-claims of the Soviet Government has been received during the current negotiations. In any statement of British claims those arising in respect of privately-held bonds and other securities will be classified separately from British Government claims, and an opportunity will be afforded for all interested parties to express thier views. All pecuniary claims of whatever nature against the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that have been notified to His Majesty's Government by British subjects since 1918 have been registered at the Russian Claims Department of the Board of Trade. The negotiations with the Soviet Ambassador have not yet advanced sufficiently far for these claims to he presented to His Excellency.
§ Sir B. PETOWill the right hon. Gentleman take the opportunity of seeing that the register of the Board of Trade is up-to-date, and, in doing that, will he take into consultation the British Union of Russian Bondholders who are registering these claims from day to day?
Mr. HENDERSONI think we have been in consultation with this organisation, but I will keep in mind the suggestions made by the hon. Member.
§ Mr. SMITHERSIn view of the statement of the right hon. Gentleman that there will be a differentiation between private and national claims, will he insist that the claims of the other side shall be put into two categories in the same way as our claims have been?