§ Mr. Wallasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will state the number of British properties in Egypt that have now been desequestrated; the number that remain 264W to be desequestrated; and the number of persons that have now been permitted to take the allowance of £5,000 per head out of the country.
§ Mr. HeathAll British property under sequestration was desequestrated on 1st March, 1959, under Egyptian Proclamation No. 54. Application for the release of individual properties has, however, to be made to the Sequestrator-General in accordance with the procedure laid down in Annex B to the Anglo-Egyptian Financial Agreement signed on 28th February, 1959.
By 18th October, 1960, 4,826 applications had been received by the Sequestrator-General of which 4,059 had so far been accepted as in order. By the same date 2,606 release agreements had been signed in respect of property owned by 2,328 private individuals and 278 companies.
We know that some transfers under Article V (1) (a) of the Agreement have already been effected. The United Arab Republic Government, who are the only possible source of precise figures of transfers under this Article, have been asked for their assistance in obtaining this information.