§ Mr. Edenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the total number of claims he has so far received for desequestration of assets in Egypt owned by British subjects; how many of these have been met in full; how many qualified for an interim payment under the Foreign Compensation (Egypt) (Interim Distribution) Order, 1959; in how many cases such payment has been made; and what further steps he is taking to speed up the process of desequestration and to protect the interests of British subjects, with special reference to the urgent needs of the smaller claimants.
§ Mr. ProfumoBritish property in Egypt which was placed under sequestration by Egyptian Proclamation No. 5 of 1st November, 1956, was, with the exception of such property as was sold or "Egyptianised", desequestrated on 1st March, 1959. Applications for the return of such desequestrated property had to be made to the United Arab Republic authorities direct, and any "claims" in respect of its return are therefore not made to the Foreign Office. The return of such property by the United Arab Republic authorities is now proceeding at a rate which has been much accelerated in the last few months.
Claims against the Egyptian Compensation Fund in respect of "Egyptianised" property, or in respect of loss, injury or damage which may be found to have occurred on property returned after sequestration, are made not to the Foreign Office but to the Foreign Compensation Commission. It is only to these claims that the Interim Distribution Order in Council mentioned in the question refers.
I am informed that, by 15th February, there were seventy-one cases in which interim payments had been made by the Commission out of the Egyptian Compensation Fund. I understand that claims are now being dealt with by the Commission more and more rapidly.
I am not certain to what my hon. Friend refers in the final part of his Question, but I am satisfied that every effort is being made to ensure that formerly sequestrated property is returned to its owners as quickly as possible, and to protect the interests of 112W British subjects generally. He will appreciate that the scale of interim payments from the Egyptian Compensation Fund laid down in the Interim Distribution Order in Council provides particularly for larger interim payments to the smaller claimants, who moreover were those most favoured under the ex gratia loan scheme administered by the Anglo-Egyptian Resettlement Board.
Recently all claimants of whom the Foreign Office had knowledge were reminded in writing that, if they had not already done so, they should send in applications for the return of their property before 28th February, 1960.