§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of widows of servicemen imprisoned by Japanese forces during World War 2(a) in total and (b) by constituency. [43306]
§ Mr. George RobertsonNo estimate has been made and no centrally collated figures exist.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of(a) servicemen and (b) civilians who were imprisoned or interned by Japanese forces during World War 2 (i) in total and (ii) by constituency. [43305]
§ Mr. George Robertson50,016 Service personnel from the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom were captured by Japanese forces during the Second World War. While matters concerning civilian citizens of the United Kingdom in such circumstances are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, I can advise that contemporary records show that some 20–21,000 civilians of British origin, British Indian or British subjects of European descent were interned by the Japanese during the Second World War.
The information on these Servicemen and civilians broken down by constituency is not held centrally and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.