Sir J. DAVIDSONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the aggregate amount of the British claims against Turkey already submitted to the Paris Commission; and, if that information is not available, if he will take steps to obtain it?
§ Mr. McNEILLThe work of assessing the British and other claims submitted to the Inter-Allied Commission for the Assessment of Damage suffered in Turkey is not yet completed, and, accordingly, it is not possible to state the aggregate amount of the British claims.
Sir J. DAVIDSONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the recently appointed British delegate on the Paris Commission, dealing with assessment and reparation of damage claims against Turkey, is in any way bound by any opinions or decisions given or agreed to by his predecessor on that Commission?
§ Mr. McNEILLDecisions of the Commission (even if taken by a majority vote) are binding on all concerned unless and until revoked or altered by the Commission, and their validity cannot be affected by changes in the personnel of the Commission.
Sir J. DAVIDSONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the total available sum at the disposal of the Paris Commission for meeting claims against Turkey; what proportion of that sum has been fixed for meeting the respective claims of Great Britain, France, Italy, and any other contracting Power; and, if so, what are the respective proportions?
§ Mr. McNEILLThe fund to be distributed by the Inter-Allied Commission for the assessment and reparation of damage in Turkey amounts to approximately £5,000,000. This fund is, under 83W Article 7 of the Convention of 23rd November, 1923, to be distributed by the Commission to British, French, Italian and Japanese claimants in proportion to the damages suffered by them as assessed by the Commission. It will be seen that the fund is not allocated in fixed proportions between the various national groups of claimants, and that, until the Commission has completed the assessment of claims, it is impossible to state what proportion of the fund the claimants of each nationality will, in fact, receive.