Oral Answers to Questions — Germany – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 17 February 1954.
Mr John Hynd
, Sheffield, Attercliffe
12:00,
17 February 1954
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any agreement has been readied with the Western German Government, having regard to the recent development of German external trade, for the repayment of the £80 million per annum incurred by the United Kingdom for the provision of food and raw materials to the British Zone during the earlier years of the occupation.
Sir Douglas Dodds-Parker
, Banbury
Yes, Sir. An agreement was reached on 27th February, 1953, at the same time as the agreement on German external debts.
Mr John Hynd
, Sheffield, Attercliffe
Can the Minister circulate the provisions of that agreement? Is he aware that, in view of the concern expressed some time ago at the prospect of ever getting this money back, the agree- ment will be received with great satisfaction? Will he give it the maximum publicity?
Sir Douglas Dodds-Parker
, Banbury
The agreement has been issued as white paper No. 8782. It shows that of Her Majesty's Government's claims, amounting to about £200 million, the Federal Government will pay £150 million by 20 annual instalments. The first payment was due on 1st August, 1953, and has been made.
Mr Emrys Hughes
, South Ayrshire
Is not this a form of reparations? Is it not a fact that behind the façade of prosperity in Germany there are vast numbers of German workers underfed and underpaid? At a time when the Soviet Government are abolishing reparations, is it not a bad thing for the Western Powers to be insisting on them?
Sir Douglas Dodds-Parker
, Banbury
That is another question.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
