§ Mrs. LaitTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many compensation payments to internees in Japanese wartime prison camps have yet to be paid; how many have been paid; how many are being investigated; and how many of these are on grounds of the need to prove nationality. [2706]
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§ Dr. MoonieAs at 6 July a total of 21,552 ex-gratia payments had been made to former internees and surviving spouses. A further 186 payments had been authorised but not yet paid. 3,364 applications are being investigated to confirm eligibility, of which 411 are on the grounds of proving nationality.
§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes there have been to the definition of "British" when applied to civilians eligible for Her Majesty's Government's ex-gratia payments to former prisoners of war and internees of the Japanese from 1941 to 1945 since 7 November 2000; and if he will make a statement. [2672]
§ Dr. MoonieThe ex-gratia payment announced on 7 November 2000 is being made to the various British groups who had been held prisoner by the Japanese during the Second World War. The eligibility criterion for civilian claimants has recently been clarified, but there has been no change in the intended scope of the scheme. British subjects whom the Japanese interned and who were born in the United Kingdom, or had a parent or grandparent born here, are eligible for the payment.