HC Deb 22 October 1953 vol 518 cc2142-3
34. Mr. Teeling

asked the President of the Board of Trade what assets other than Baltic assets the Custodian of Enemy Property will have to administer after the settlement of the German, Polish, Hungarian, Roumanian and Bulgarian assets has been accomplished.

Mr. P. Thorneycroft

After the Administrators of German, Hungarian, Roumanian and Bulgarian Property have taken over from the Custodians of Enemy Property the assets to which they are entitled, there will undoubtedly be a residue of the money and property which came under their control during the War as "enemy property," and which remains unclaimed. Most of this property belonged to persons resident in territories occupied by the enemy.

Mr. Teeling

Does not my right hon. Friend think that there is very little left for the Custodian to deal with? Is it not high time, if we are economising, that we got rid of that particular job? If I may say so, my right hon. Friend has not answered my question, for instance, with regard to Poland. What has been happening about Polish assets? If it is true that they are not enemy properties, and, therefore, not dealt with by the Custodian, why are Baltic properties dealt with, because they equally are not enemy properties?

Mr. Thorneycroft

My hon. Friend will recognise that this question deals with assets other than the Baltic assets. He also knows the complexities of these matters, which I shall be happy to discuss with him. The assets remaining in the hands of the Custodian are, for the main part, that category which is known as "enemy property" because it happened to be property in the possession of persons in territories over-run by the enemy, and many claims are under consideration with regard to that.