§ LORD HARRIS had the following Question on the Paper—
§ To ask His Majesty's Government—
§ If they have information as to the number of officers and soldiers who are prisoners in Austro-Hungarian hands.
§ Whether there is any objection to stating the number.
§ Whether there is an equivalent number of Austro-Hungarian military prisoners in British hands.
§ Whether it is the intention of the Government to arrange any system of exchange of the military prisoners of the two nations.
§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, I understand that some of our unfortunate comrades are interned in Austria, and in their behalf I ask the Question standing in my name.
§ THE ASSISTANT UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (LORD NEWTON)My Lords, the number of Austrian combatant prisoners of war in British hands is 34 officers and 1,243 of other ranks; and the number of British combatant prisoners of war in Austro-Hungarian hands is 12 officers and 75 of other ranks. There is, already, an Agreement between the two Governments for the repatriation of invalid combatants but, as with one or two exceptions, no British combatants have been in the hands of the Austrians for more than a very short period, there seems to be no necessity for concluding an Agreement at the present moment.
With regard to the two or three prisoners I have already alluded to, no doubt it will be found practicable to make some special arrangement in respect to them, but I should like to take this opportunity of stating that the Austrian Government has approached us with a view to the exchange of civilian prisoners, and, as the noble Lord is probably aware, the number of Austrian civilian prisoners that we hold is very much in excess of the number of English civilians in Austrian hands. We are replying that we are prepared to exchange the civilians on a head per head basis, but that as regards the surplus we are not prepared to enter into any negotiations with them on the 370 subject until the Turkish Government has carried out their agreement with us with regard to the prisoners in their hands. In other words, we proposed to utilise the Austrian Government for the purpose of putting pressure upon their Allies for the benefit of our prisoners who are in the hands of the Turkish Government.
§ LORD PHILLIMOREThe noble Lord said something about two or three special prisoners. I should like to ask hint whether he referred to the four or more prisoners who are known to have escaped from German prisons, and to have been captured and detained in Austria? I should be glad to hear that some special arrangement could be made for them.
§ LORD NEWTONMy statement did not refer to the officers in question; it referred to two British prisoners who found themselves in Austria at the beginning of the war, and who have been interned there ever since. I am afraid that I cannot make any statement with regard to the officers whom the noble Lord has in mind, because, so far as my information goes, we have not received any intelligence respecting them.
§ LORD PHILLIMOREThey know all about them at Thurloe-place.