§ Mr. Maxwell-HyslopTo ask the Prime Minister whether Her Majesty's Government will replace or deposit with the Bank of England to the order of the independent Governments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania the national gold reserves of those countries which were deposited for safe-keeping in the Bank of England before Russia occupied the said countries and which, pursuant to the Foreign Compensation Act 1969, were subsequently converted to other uses without their depositors' assent.
§ The Prime MinisterIf claims were presented to Her Majesty's Government by Governments of future independent Baltic states, such claims would be considered.
§ Mr. Maxwell-HyslopTo ask the Prime Minister whether Her Majesty's Government will request the Russian Government to return to the Bank of England, for redeposit to the order of the Governments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the national gold reserves of those countries which had been deposited with the Bank of England for safe-keeping prior to the Russian occupation of those independent countries.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Soviet Government do not possess the gold reserves of the former Baltic states. The action taken by the British Government in 1968 in respect of these reserves is set out in the answer which my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) on 5 March.