§ Mr. MOREINGasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the fact that a number of British subjects who, when resident in Russia, responded to the appeal of the British chaplain in Moscow and advanced money for the assistance of British prisoners detained in Russian prisons, are now unable to obtain from the Government repayment of the advances made by them, and are compelled, since their repatriation to this country, to apply to the guardians for relief consequent on the Government's delay in dealing with their cases; the number of persons who have thus been compelled to apply for such relief, and what steps he proposes to take to meet 54W their present financial straits; whether the Government is now in a position to deal with these oases on similar lines to the judgment delivered in the Court of Appeal in Mr. Broadman's case; and what explanation is offered as to the delay in dealing with these cases?
§ Captain ERSKINE-BOLSTasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware of the suffering caused to many British nationals who advanced money to the Reverend Frank North to feed the destitute British colony in Moscow, on the recognition of His Majesty's Government, and who are still awaiting reimbursement of the sums advanced, and of the recent decision given in the Courts of the rate of exchange then established; and if the remainder of the applicants can be recognised on similar terms?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSI am aware that a number of British subjects (about 60 in all) provided funds which were employed by the British Chaplain at Moscow for relief purposes. Repayment of these rouble loans has been made in sterling in the majority of cases, and has been offered in all cases, but many of the lenders are not satisfied with the rates of exchange at which the sterling payments have been calculated. I have no information as to the number of those lenders who have been compelled to apply for relief. I am not in a position to deal with other cases on lines similar to the judgment delivered in the Court of Appeal in the case of Mr. Boardman. The grounds on which the appeal of His Majesty's Government flailed in that case were not such as to constitute an obligation to regard that case as a precedent governing other cases. It has now been possible to formulate a scale of rates of exchange for the period from May, 1919, to May, 1920 (during which period most of the loans were made), and an offer has already been made in some cases, and is about to be made in the remaining cases, to revise the payments already made by applying, where they are applicable, these rates of exchange, which are generally more favourable than those originally offered.