§ Major BIRCHALLasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Public Trustee is collecting from English firms individually payment of pre-war debts 2051W owing by them to enemies; and what steps are being taken to liquidate debts owing by enemies to English firms?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe Public Trustee has no power to collect debts due to enemies except in pursuance of an order of Court under Section 4 of the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act, 1914, or an Order of the Board of Trade under Section 4 of the Trading with the Enemy Act, 1916, vesting such debts in him as custodian. It is understood that a few orders have been made in isolated cases by the Court under the 1914 Act. With regard to the second part of the question, this is one of the questions now under consideration in Paris in connection with the general settlement with enemy countries, and I am not in a position to make any statement upon it.