§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD RUSSELL OF LIVERPOOLMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, having regard to Chancellor Adenauer's recent assurance that in Western Germany everything will be avoided which might "in any way contribute to supplying fuel to anti-German feeling in Britain", they will make it clear to him that a satisfactory amendment of the present German Compensation Law (Bundesentschaedigungsgesetz) to secure compensation for victims not at present entitled to it would do much to improve relations between the British and German peoples and help to "bury the memory of the war years" upon which the German Chancellor rightly places the greatest value.]
THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO(The EARL OF DUNEE)Lords, Her Majesty's Government intend shortly to hold discussions with the Federal German Government on this subject during which it will certainly again be made clear that they do not regard the 797 Compensation Law as in itself going far enough to meet the requirements of the situation.
§ LORD RUSSELL OF LIVERPOOLMy Lords, I am much obliged to the noble Earl for his Answer. May I ask whether Her Majesty's Government will in the course of the negotiations press for a suitable settlement in respect of stateless persons?
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEYes, my Lords, the claims of the stateless persons and refugees are very much in the mind of Her Majesty's Government and will figure very prominently in the discussions with the German Government.
§ Lord HANKEYMy Lords, may I ask a supplementary question to those questions and answers: namely, as to whether Her Majesty's Government approve the last passage of that rather long Question regarding the importance stressed by the German Chancellor of burying the memory of the war years?
§ The EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, I should have thought that no one would disagree with this, but it was, of course, the noble Lord, and not Her Majesty's Government, who asked the Question which associated these two things together.
§ LORD RUSSELL OF LIVERPOOLMy Lords, may I ask the noble Earl whether he is not aware and whether it is not generally known that the words "burying memories of the war" are a quotation from what Dr. Adenauer himself said?
§ The EARL OF DUNDEEI think that in my copy of the Question that is explicitly stated and the words are in inverted commas.