§ 3. Commander WEDGWOODasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs who was the responsible officer in the Soudan that produced local reasons of a convincing nature that it was undesirable to raise additional battalions of Soudanese troops; whether this matter was fully considered and confirmed by the Foreign Office; when such reasons were given; and whether, now that the Sultan of Darfur is defeated and killed, the Foreign Office will ask the present Governor to reconsider the matter in the light of present events both in Africa and in Europe?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Lord R. Cecil)The answer to the first part of the question is, His Majesty's Government are responsible, and I must, of course, decline to give the name of any officer who advised them on the subject. The answer to the second part of the question is, yes. The answer to the third part is, that the last time the matter was considered was on the 7th instant. The answer to the last part of the question is that the hon. and gallant Member may rest assured that this consideration is present to His Majesty's Government and their advisers.
§ Commander WEDGWOODMay I ask whether the report from Egypt was made by officials who put the interests of their own locality above the interests of the Empire?
§ Lord R. CECILI am quite sure that any official of the British Government puts the interests of the British Empire above everything else.