§ Sir B. CHADWICKasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the grant of £300,000 to meet so-called belated claims sent in the Reparation Claims Department was based on any estimate of proportion of allocation, or whether the figure was fixed before it was known what the number and amount of such claims were?
Mr. WEBBI have been asked to reply. The decision to ask Parliament to provide a sum of £300,000 for belated claims 1157W was taken before the final number and amount of such claims were known, although a large number had already been received. The amount was fixed as being the largest amount which is available to provide a solatium to belated claimants, having regard to the other demands on the Exchequer, and the precise scale on which payment will be made cannot be determined until the claims have been assessed.