Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Poland on behalf of British citizens with claims concerning restitution of property seized during (1) the Nazi, and (2) the Communist, eras.

The Government attaches great importance to supporting the families affected by the Holocaust – including in respect of property restitution and implementation of international declarations. The Government has raised issues relating to Polish law in the area of property restitution with the Polish authorities on a number of occasions including at Ministerial level, by the UK’s Special Envoy on Post-Holocaust issues, Sir Andrew Burns, and by our Embassy in Warsaw. The issue of property restitution was last raised with the Polish government in November 2014 during a visit to Poland by the noble Lord Ahmad. We share the hopes of international partners that the government in Poland will revive legislation as soon as possible, and we will continue to encourage them to do so.

We welcome the legislation passed in Poland in March 2014 that is intended to make the longstanding Polish benefit for war veterans and victims of oppression more accessible to eligible veterans and victims living abroad, including Holocaust survivors. Poland’s legal system already allows for claims relating to property seized during the Communist era to be pursued in their civil court.