§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the children of the Far East Prisoners of War (COFEPOW) in respect of the wish of the COFEPOW organisation to promote a memorial and cultural building at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire. [87498]
§ Dr. MoonieI have responded to a number of letters from hon. Members whose constituents, as members of COFEPOW, have expressed an interest in this subject.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an ex gratia payment to far eastern ex-civilian prisoners of war whose great grandparents were born in the UK. [87779]
§ Dr. MoonieThe eligibility criterion for the ex gratia payment scheme in relation to former civilian internees held by the Japanese during World War II is that either they, or at least one of their parents or grandparents, should have been born in the United Kingdom. We have no plans to extend the criterion back another generation.