HC Deb 18 February 1946 vol 419 cc186-8W

  1. 1.The Government propose that Claims Commissions should be set up in each of the British territories in the Far East which have been occupied by the Japanese, to register and assess claims for property lost 01 damaged as a result of the war. The new register will take over claims already provisionally registered, and no further registration will be needed in such cases.
  2. 2.The Commissions will examine claims registered with the with two objects in view:
    1. (a)To compile information as to all losses which might be included in Reparation Claims against the Japanese.
    2. (b)To assess claims admissible under the local law or that might otherwise qualify for compensation under schemes initiated by the local Governments of these territories.
  3. 3.The categories ot claims to be included for reparation purposes have not yet been settled, but will be communicated to the Commissions as soon as possible. A warning should, however, be given that reparation settlements may not meet the full amount of our claims.
  4. 4.The precise classes of claims Inspect of which compensation will be paid and the basis of their assessment will be determined in due course by local legislation. In the meantime for the purpose of assessment of claims registered with them, the Commissions will be guided by the terms of existing local legislation, or, where there is no such legislation, broadly by the principles laid down in analogous United Kingdom legislation.
    5. 187
  5. 5.Pending assessment of claims, it is not possible to state the extent to which it may be possible to award compensation, and the setting up of a Claims Commission does not commit the Government of the territory concerned to the payment of compensation, save in the case of claims admissible under existing local law.
  6. 6.In the event of it being found practicable to initiate new compensation schemes, the local Government will follow three principles in the preparation of such schemes:
    1. (a)Owners of property (whether damaged or not) over a minimum value to be fixed will have to pay a fair share of the total cost, just as has been the practice in this country.
    2. (b)Compensation may be withheld from those claimants who are not prepared to reinvest the award in the country concerned, in cases in which such reinvestment would be practicable.
    3. (c) Priority will have to be given in the settlement of all claims to those claimants, the restoration of whose property is of chief importance to the economy of the territory.
  7. 7. As has been previously stated, His Majesty's are anxious, if the resources of the local governments concerned are insufficient to meet the cost of restoring productive actitivies in their territories, to give what assistance they can. His Majesty's Government are already, in pursuance of this undertaking, making advances to certain of the local governments whose resources are insufficient to finance reconstruction schemes, but His Majesty's Government cannot give any specific undertaking as to the extent to which they could assist local governments in regard to compensation schemes until it is known what are the extent of those schemes, and how far local resources can meet them.

Mr. Foot

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Burma whether he is now in a position to make a statement about compensation for war damage in Burma.

Mr. A. Henderson

Yes, Sir. The Government propose that a Claims Commission shall be set up in each of the British territories in the Far East, including Burma, which have been occupied by the Japanese, to register and assess claims for property lost or damaged as a result of the war. The text of their announcement on this subject is given above.