§ Mr. LANSBURYasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether 47W delegates representing Indian self-governing states have been appointed to attend the forthcoming meeting of the League of Nations to be held in September; by whom the delegates are appointed and to whom they are responsible; and can he give the House the names of such delegates?
§ Mr. RICHARDSThe answer to the first part is in the negative. Delegates are not appointed to represent the Indian States as such. The answer to the second part is that the delegates are appointed by, and are responsible to, the Secretary of State acting in consultation with the Government of India; to the third part, that the delegates are Lord Hardinge of Penshurst, His Highness The Maharaja of Bikaner and Sir Muhammad Rafiq.
§ Mr. LANSBURYasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the Legislative Assembly in India was consulted before the appointment of Lord Hardinge to represent India at the meeting of the League of Nations in September next will he inform this House by whom Lord Hardinge and the other members of the delegation were appointed; was any effort made, either in this country or in India, to discover whether the members of this delegation represent, directly or indirectly, the views and opinions of representative Indians on either national or international questions; and will he give the names of the members of the delegation Lord Hardinge is to lead?
§ Mr. RICHARDSThe answer to the first part is in the negative. It is not usual for Executive Governments to consult their legislatures in making such appointments. The answers to the second and fourth parts have been given in my reply to Question No. 1. The answer to the third part is in the affirmative.