§ Lieut.-Colonel HENEAGEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the assistance given by the Norwegian Government in looking after British interests during the rupture of negotiations with the Soviet Government has now come to an end; whether suitable thanks have been sent to the Norwegian Government for the assistance and what was the cost of such assistance; whether any outstanding problems which arose during this period still remain to be solved; and, if so, what is their nature?
Mr. A. HENDERSONAs regards the first part of the question, the answer is in the affirmative except that the Norwegian Government have courteously consented to allow their Consular officers to continue to look after the interests of British subjects in certain places to which British Consular officers have not yet been appointed. The thanks of His Majesty's Government have been officially conveyed to the Norwegian Government for the assistance given by them during the period when diplomatic relations were suspended, and it will be remembered that I made a statement on the subject in this House on 23rd December last. The cost of the secretarial assistance incurred by the Norwegian Government and repaid to them during the 1399W period under review (that is, from May, 1927, to December, 1929) was at the rate of approximately £900 per annum. As regards the last part of the question, no questions other than those of a routine nature were left outstanding at the time of the arrival of His Majesty's Ambassador in Moscow in December last year.