§ 62. Mr. Ecclesasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, under Article 6 (A) of the Paris Reparations Agreement and the relative accounting rules covering the disposal of German assets under His Majesty's Government's jurisdiction, he proposes to avail himself of His Majesty's Government's right to treat such assets, in so far as legitimate contract claims of British nationals exist against them, as British assets not accountable to the Reparations Pool.
§ Mr. Glenvil HallThis question has not yet been settled: My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is now considering representations which have been made to him. The hon. Member will have seen a notice issued two days ago by the Treasury on the subject, and I would like to take this opportunity of repeating its main point: in order to protect their position in case it is later decided to allow offsets of the kind to which the hon. Member refers, all creditors of persons in Germany who think that their debtors held assets in this country at the outbreak of war, should make apro forma application to have those assets used towards payment of his debt. Any United Kingdom creditor who has not already registered the debt owing to him with either the Board of Trade, the Trading with the Enemy Department, or any of the United Kingdom Custodians of Enemy Property, should notify the Administration of Enemy Property Department, 32, Warwick Street, Regent Street, London, W.1, before 24th January. Those who have already registered the debts owing to them are invited to write to the Administration of Enemy Property Department at an early date (though this need not be during this week) giving reference to the previous correspondence, and naming— 51W where this has not already been done— any assets which, to the best of their belief, were held by their debtors in this country at the outbreak of war.