§ 10. Viscount SANDONasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the present and prospective position of British officials in the Iraqi railway service; what reply was sent to their appeal to him of I3th April last; and when it was sent?
§ Mr. AMERYThe majority of senior British officials in the Iraq railways are still serving upon the conditions embodied in contracts entered into with the Civil Administration which preceded the present Government of Iraq. It is the wish of His Majesty's Government that these contracts, which have long since expired, should be replaced by contracts similar to those already granted to senior British officials in other Government Departments in Iraq; but the consent of the Iraq Government to this arrangement has not yet been obtained. In August last the High Commissioner for Iraq was authorised to inform representative British officials in the Iraq railways that it was the intention of His Majesty's Government so far as it lay within their power, to make the grant of satisfactory contracts to railway officials a condition of the transfer of the railways either to the Iraq Government or to an independent corporation or to a commercial group.