A leading barrister has been asked by the Board of Deputies to investigate concerns about the Claims Conference, the New York-based body which distributes restitution funds to Holocaust survivors.

Jeffrey Gruder QC, a commercial litigation specialist and a former deputy for Radlett Synagogue, will advise the Board on whether there are any matters that need to be taken up with the Conference.

Last year, Board joint vice-president Paul Edlin, one of the Board's representatives on the Conference, set up a sub-committee to look at Holocaust restitution, having previously voiced concerns about "transparency and democratic accountability" in the Conference.

A Board spokesman said that the sub-committee had established "a process for examining both documentary and financial records of the Claims Conference". 

Mr Gruder said: "I heard that there are concerns about the Conference and I agreed with Paul that I would receive any queries and documentation to see where there was anything in them."