§ Mr. Shinwellasked the President of the Board of Trade what course should be adopted by British importers who owe money to German suppliers for goods supplied to them before the war, in order to discharge such liabilities; and to what extent they have complied with statutory requirements regarding such liabilities?
Major Lloyd GeorgeI am grateful to the hon. Member for giving me the opportunity of calling attention to the provisions of the Trading with the Enemy (Custodian) Order, S.R. & O., 1939, No. 1198, which requires any money, which, but for the existence of a state of war, would be payable to or for the benefit of the enemy, to be paid to the custodian of enemy property and further requires notices of such liabilities to be given to the custodian in writing. I have reason to believe that there may be a number of cases of non-compliance with the Order and I would call attention to the substantial penalties imposed by the Trading with the Enemy Act for failure to furnish information to the custodian.
1382Wquantities as well as values since cotton prices have risen.
The custodians of enemy property are:
- (1) for England—Sir Ernest Fass, K.C.M.G., C.B., O.B.E., Public Trustee Office, Kingsway, W.C.2.
- (2) for Scotland—E. E. Parker, Esq., M.B.E., H.M. New Register House, Edinburgh, 2.
- (3) for Northern Ireland—Major F G. Hill, O.B.E., Royal Courts of Justice (Ulster), Belfast.