§ Mr. A. M. SAMUELasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an arrangement with the Belgian Government in regard to the Belgian debt to the British Government?
§ Sir R. HORNEThe war debt of the Belgian Government to His Majesty's Government, amounting to about £120,000,000, has been taken over by Germany under paragraph 3 of Article 232 of the Treaty of Versailles. In addition to the war debt, as defined by the Treaty, the Belgian Government owes to His Majesty's Government a sum of £9,000,000 in respect of the reconstruction credit granted to Belgium after the Armistice, which was made repayable out of the first receipts of Belgium from Germany on account of reparation, and considerable sums not yet exactly ascertained but amounting to approximately £8,000,000 due to the Ministry of Munitions, Ministry of Shipping and other Departments for supplies made and services rendered after the Armistice. A payment of £6,000,000 has been made, or is in course of being made, by Belgium on account of the debts due to Government Departments, and it has been 477W agreed in principle that the reconstruction debt and the balance of the debts due to Government Departments shall be funded on terms hereafter to be arranged.