HC Deb 30 October 1958 vol 594 cc5-8W
Mr. Kirk

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to implement the undertaking given by the Lord President of the Council in his statement in another place on 23rd July, regarding British nationals expelled from Egypt.

8. Mr. R. A. Butler

Discussions have taken place at the Treasury with representatives of the British Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, the Anglo-Egyptian Aid Society, the Jewish Refugees Committee, the Maltese Communities in Egypt and the Association of (Former) British Officials of the Egyptian Government. Representations have also been received from a number of individuals. All these representations have been fully considered. The action which Her Majesty's Government have decided to take is as follows.

First, the scale of loans under the existing ex gratia loans scheme as announced in this House on 15th July, 1957 (OFFICIAL REPORT, cols. 765–767) will be increased in all cases where reckonable assets exceed £2,500. The amount of the increase will vary from £200 at the bottom end of the scale to £5,000 at the top.

Secondly, those assets in private business which are comparable with reckonable private assets will in future be included in the scheme.

Thirdly, a number of modifications will be made in the scheme to remove some of the inequalities of treatment as between different classes of case.

This extension of the scheme will be put into effect immediately.

The details of it are set out below.

In addition, Her Majesty's Government have decided that certain loans should be made to the officials who were dismissed by the Egyptian Government in 1951, and that £100,000 should be made available for this purpose. Their claims are not suitable for inclusion in the present ex gratia loans scheme. The method of distribution of this sum will be decided by Her Majesty's Government after further consultation with the representatives of those concerned.

A supplementary Estimate will be presented to Parliament in due course.

The following are the particulars referred to:

1.The scale of loans will be revised thus:
Reckonable Assets Existing scheme New scheme
Up to £E2,000 70 per cent. 70 per cent.
£E2,001–£E2,500 £1,500 £1,500
£E2,501–£E3,000 £1,600 £1,800
£E3,001–£E4,000 £2,000 £2,200
£E4,001–£E5,000 as above £2,500
£E5,001–£E7,500 £2,700 £3,200
£E7,501–£E10,000 as above £4,000
£E10,001–£El5,000 £3,400 £5,500
£E15,001–£E20,000 £4,100 £7,500
£E20,001 and above £5,000 £10,000

Business Assets. Provided that an individual is in other respects eligible for an ex gratia loan, his tangible business assets will be reckonable for this purpose. Assets reckonable will be—

  • Land.
  • Buildings.
  • Office Furniture.
  • Vehicles, boats and livestock.
  • Bank Balances, Cash Deposits, Securities and Mortgages.
  • Public Utility Deposits.
  • Plant and Machinery.
  • Stock in Trade.
A notional division of the assets will be made in cases of partnerships in accordance with the shares held by different partners.

Mortgaged Property will in future reckon up to its net value after taking the mortgage into account.

Mortgage Loans will in future be included in the scheme.

Those who did not leave Egypt as a result of events in 1956 because they were not resident there at the time. These persons if they are in the United Kingdom, are already eligible for ex gratia loans subject to a test of hardship applied by the Anglo-Egyptian Resettlement Board; if resident abroad, they have hitherto been outside the scope of the Board. In future the latter will benefit from the ex gratia loans scheme on the same terms as if they were in the United Kingdom. Hardship will be assessed by the Board on the basis of consular reports or sworn affidavits.

Assets in Egypt of deceased British Persons. Where death occurred in Egypt, and provided that the British beneficiaries are refugees, loans are granted on production of the Will and Egyptian Probate or Letters of Administration. In the absence of these documents there is no clear title. Loans are also made to non-refugee widows on production of Will and Egyptian Probate or Letters of Administration, provided they prove hardship. In future the restriction of loans to widows will not apply, all cases being looked at on their merits.

Where death occurred in the United Kingdom, widows alone are paid on production of Will and Probate taken out in this country (with a test of hardship if the widows are not refugees). Here again in future the restriction of loans to widows will not apply, all cases being looked at on their merits.

Assets not registered with the Foreign Office before 15th July, 1957. There must be some safeguard for the Exchequer in these cases. Where an application for a loan has been made, the applicant will be asked to submit a sworn affidavit concerning the circumstances of the late declaration. Cases will then be considered on their merits. Registrations will not, however, be accepted after today as qualifying for loans, though in very exceptional circumstances, for instance in the case of persons only now leaving Egypt, allowances may be made.

Money spent on fares. Those who paid their own fares to the United Kingdom are at a disadvantage compared with those whose fares were paid by the Swiss in return for an undertaking to repay, since refugees in the latter category have equivalently more assets left in Egypt against which to claim loans. It is proposed to rectify this anomaly by making an adjustment to the ex gratia loan in cases where an individual has paid his own fare.