§ Mr. J. Taylorasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if, in the allocation of moneys received from the Government of Japan to compensate British prisoners of war, he will include Merchant Navy personnel who were prisoners in the same camps as members of Her Majesty's Forces, subjected to the same conditions and who were treated 124W by the Japanese in exactly the same way as Service prisoners.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI am afraid I have no power to make payments of moneys received under Article 16 of the Peace Treaty in the way suggested by the hon. Member. The position is governed by the Peace Treaty, which expressly confines the distribution of this money to members of the Armed Forces. Members of the Merchant Navy have, however, received their share of the Japanese assets realised in the United Kingdom under Article 14 of the Treaty, to which this restriction did not apply