§ Mr. Jannerasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that, owing to the inadequate staff available, only about one-third of those who lost all their personal possessions in British and ex-British territories in the Far East, and have subsequently returned permanently to this country to rehabilitate themselves here, have yet received consideration and settlement of their claims under the Extended Far Eastern Private Chattels Scheme; and whether, in view of the fact that nearly all these cases involve hardship, steps can be taken to increase the staff dealing with the claims made and in order to expedite settlement.
Mr. H. WilsonI am aware of the circumstances to which my hon. Friend refers, but in spite of the general shortage of staff the rate of payment is being somewhat accelerated. I am having the matter reviewed in order to see whether it is possible to accelerate the work still further.