HC Deb 21 April 1947 vol 436 cc71-2W
Mr. Sharp

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the present functions of the Trading with the Enemy Department; to what extent these overlap those of the Control Office for Germany and Austria; and why it is proposed to increase the staff by 50 per cent.

Sir S. Cripps

The principal functions of the Trading with the Enemy Department, which is responsible to the Treasury and the Board of Trade, are:

  1. (a) the release of the property of persons in territories formerly in enemy occupation, which had an estimated value of £400,000,000, and was placed under control in accordance with the Trading with the Enemy Act, under conditions prescribed in property agreements made between His Majesty's Government and the other Governments concerned;
  2. (b) the realisation and disposal of German and other enemy property placed at the disposal of His Majesty's Government under the terms of the Paris Agreement on Reparation, or of the Peace Treaties;
  3. (c) investigations necessary to ensure that enemy property is duly reported and does not escape control, including the examination of the returns of property in and debts due from the United Kingdom made by Germans to the Control authorities;
  4. (d) the registration of debts due to United Kingdom creditors from enemies and former enemies and of property in enemy countries owned by persons in the United Kingdom; direct co-ordination with His Majesty's Missions in these countries, including the Property Control Branch of the Allied Control Commission in Germany, for the protection of British interests; and advice to members of the British public regarding the prosecution of their claims for compensation for loss or damage;
  5. (e) negotiations with the representatives of other Governments and of other Departments regarding the principles and methods to be followed in all the above arrangements; and
  6. (f) the issue of general orders and individual authorities where still necessary to permit the resumption of business and financial relations between persons in the United Kingdom and in enemy territories.

There is close co-operation between the Department and the Control Office for Germany and Austria, but no overlapping of duties.

The main purposes of the proposed increase in the staff from 254 to 389 are:

  1. (a) to implement the relative Articles of the Peace Treaties and of the Paris Agreement on Reparation;
  2. (b) to hasten the disposal of property still under control; and
  3. (c) to give more help to British creditors and owners of property in enemy and ex-enemy territories.

The staff requirements are kept under continuous review, but the natue of much of the work is such that any avoidable delay in dealing with it increases its complexity, and immediate staff increases now will avoid more work later.