§ 2. Captain Stricklandasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the considerable number of debts due to traders and others in this country from buyers in Syria and the Lebanon, which were blocked in the compensation office or in local banks prior to the entry of British troops into these territories; whether any arrangements have been made for the transfer of such sums to the creditors in this country; and if not, when such arrangements may be expected to materialise?
§ Sir A. DuncanYes, Sir. I am aware of the existence of a certain number, fortunately small in total, of debts of this kind. I am informed that the former Vichy Administration of Syria required such debts to be paid to a Compensation Office, and remitted the proceeds to Vichy. It is therefore not possible to require payment again from the Syrian traders, and I am afraid that the debts can only be registered with the Finance Department of the Board of Trade, in so far as this has not already been done, pending an eventual settlement.