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Far East Civilian Internees

Volume 448: debated on Monday 3 July 2006

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment process he will use to judge the claims for the ex-gratia payment by those former Far East civilian internees who do not qualify under the 20-year rule; and how many such claims he expects there to be. (81194)

[holding answer 29 June 2006]: It is not possible to make a reliable estimate of how many unsuccessful claims will remain after they have been reviewed against the changes that were announced by my predecessor on 28 March 2006. However, for those cases that do not meet the aforementioned eligibility criteria for a payment under the scheme, we are working with a relevant charity to see how we might be able to support them in their work to provide assistance in cases of hardship. It is too early to say what form this might take but I expect to have concluded this work shortly.