§ Colonel YATEasked the hon. Member for Sheffield (Central Division) whether he is aware of the expenditure of officer prisoners in Turkey on food, clothing, house rent, furniture, transport, and other bare necessities; whether he has received evidence from the Prisoners in Turkey Committee that the allowances recently fixed by the Dutch Minister at Constantinople are inadequate; what action is proposed in the matter; whether he is aware that the allowances made by the Dutch 899W Minister, even if adequate in future, will not compensate officers for the expenditure already incurred; and whether he will lay it down as a principle that all expenses proved to have been incurred by prisoners in Turkey on the bare necessities of life, in excess of a reasonable sum to be fixed by the War Office, will be refunded to them at the rate of exchange current when the money was spent?
§ Mr. FORSTERI explained the arrangements recently instituted by the representative of the Netherlands Government in answer to a question by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Bassetlaw on the 20th June last, of which I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy. I am afraid it is not advisable at present to interfere with these arrangements, but, as my hon. Friend the Member for Central Sheffield stated yesterday, the Netherlands Minister has been consulted as to the advisability of establishing emergency funds at the various camps. As regards compensating officers and others for expenditure previously incurred, I regret I cannot make any definite promise, but any statements of such expenditure submitted by officers and men on their release will, of course, receive sympathetic consideration.