§ Lord Wyatt of Weefordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their attention has been drawn to the article by Professor Norman Stone in The Spectator of 28 October 1995, and if so, whether they will co-operate with the United States in protecting the property rights of British citizens in the former East Germany.
§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey:We are aware of Professor Stone's article in The Spectator.
Although the Americans signed an agreement with the Federal German Government in 1992 for a lump sum payment, this is not an option open to the British Government. The German Government are not prepared to conclude any further bilateral agreements of this sort.
British claimants who had property in the former German Democratic Republic are able to pursue their claims directly with the appropriate local German authorities through domestic procedures. We monitor progress on these claims and regularly remind the German authorities of the need to bring them all to a prompt and satisfactory conclusion. We have taken up cases of significant delays or apparent lack of co-operation from local authorities.
We frequently consult other interested parties (such as the United States, Netherlands, Belgium and Canada) about progress on claims issues.