EARL of RONALDSHAYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the many varying schemes for railway communication from Europe and the Mediterranean to India which are now occupying the public attention, whether he would appoint a small committee of expert authorities on somewhat the same lines as the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the Euphrates Valley Railway in 1871 and 1872, to consider and report upon the pros and cons of the projects, with special reference to the British-Indian and Imperial interests involved at the present day?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir Edward Grey)It would not be desirable to adopt the proposal of the Noble Lord. The subject involves commercial, strategical, and political considerations, and has been dealt with in consultation with the Government of India, the Committee of Defence, and the different Government Departments concerned, all of which have access to what must remain confidential information.