HL Deb 04 December 2001 vol 629 c121WA
Lord Wilson of Tillyorn

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the criteria for being considered British under the offer of compensation made in November 2001 to those held prisoner by the Japanese in the Second World War were later restricted so far as civilian internees were concerned; and how restricted criteria can be justified which rule out many of those who were interned simply because they were holding British passports. [HL1440]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)

Theex gratin payment scheme for former Far East prisoners, which was announced on 7 November last year, covers various British groups, including civilians who were interned by the Japanese. The eligibility criterion for civilian claimants under the scheme is that they were British subjects whom the Japanese interned and who were born in the United Kingdom or had a parent or grandparent born here. This criterion was clarified earlier this year, but there has been no change to the intended scope of the scheme. Holding a British passport, either then or now, was never a criterion for eligibility under the scheme.