HL Deb 02 May 1957 vol 203 cc253-5
THE EARL OF DUNDEE

My Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in ray name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty' Government if they can now report progress on the question of financial compensation to British subjects expelled from Egypt for loss of assets seized by the Egyptian Government.]

THE EARL OF HOME

My Lords, the policy of Her Majesty's Government in this matter, as my right honourable friend the Prime Minister explained in another place on April 11, is to secure from the Egyptian Government the restoration of British assets sequestrated in Egypt, or alternatively complete compensation for those assets. The Egyptian Government have still not replied to a Note from Her Majesty's Government, delivered by the Swiss authorities in Cairo on January 27, in which Her Majesty's Government called for the suspension of measures, including sequestration, taken against British subjects.

My noble friend might like to know that good progress has been made in the task of collecting information about British assets in Egypt, and it is hoped that this will largely be completed in two or three weeks from now. The figures of requests received to file statements, of statements actually received, and of statements tabulated, relating to private claims and the property of business concerns, are as follows: the number of forms issued is 3,470; of forms returned, 2,256; and of forms tabulated, 1,933 for private individuals, and 183 for business concerns. I think progress is being made and I hope that it will be completed in a matter of two or three weeks.

LORD KILLEARN

My Lords, arising out of the noble Earl's reply does he realise that his statement that the tabulation will take only two or three weeks more will undoubtedly cause great satisfaction to the claimants, many of whom are in a very embarrassing position. They cannot indefinitely "sponge on" their friends and relations, nor can they get indefinite credit from the banks. I wonder if I might ask whether the House could have an assurance that when this tabulation is completed, which we learn with great pleasure will be in two or three weeks' time, the policy which we were told by the former Leader of the House will then be formulated, will in fact be formulated with a view, I hope, to an immediate settlement of these claims.

THE EARL OF HOME

My Lords, on this Question I cannot go into policy; but when the claims are tabulated in two or three weeks from now, then, of course, it will be the Government's business very shortly after that to announce what the policy is.

LORD KILLEARN

I thank the noble Earl.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH

My Lords, may I ask whether the terms of the noble Leader's answers to-day will include those who are under grave disability, who have been the servants of the contractors looking after the British Government military stores in Egypt? What is the situation in regard to these people now, who seem to get no compensation or even employment from anywhere?

THE EARL OF HOME

My Lords, perhaps the noble Viscount would put down a Question to that effect, or I could convey the information to him, because I have not actually got it with me.

LORD HADEN-GUEST

My Lords, I suppose the Government realise the intense hostility and anxiety caused to these people, deprived of all their possessions. Is he in a position to say that at a reasonably early date—we have already been six months about it—they may expect a definite decision? Is that what the noble Earl implied by his statement to-day?

THE EARL OF HOME

First of all, we must realise that these things are immensely complicated. It is a matter of great human concern.

LORD HADEN-GUEST

Yes.

THE EARL OF HOME

It naturally arouses all our sympathies and a great deal of emotion. The fact remains that this is immensely complicated information. There is a great deal to be collected and tabulated, and I am afraid that it is bound to take time. As the noble Earl says, for once Whitehall has kept up to time, and it looks as though in two or three weeks' time we shall be in a position to have the claims tabulated, or very nearly so. After that, as I have indicated, we shall have to make up our minds what the policy should be. But we cannot make up our minds about policy at the moment.

LORD KILLEARN

May I get it clear? The two or three weeks is a definite date, I hope?

THE EARL OF HOME

That is our hope, too.