§ 16. Major POLEasked the Secretary of State for India if he will inform the House as to what is the existing basis regulating the proportion of British to Indian troops in India; and in what respect this differs from that laid down by the Peel Commission immediately after the Indian Mutiny in 1859?
§ Mr. BENNThe present proportion of British to Indian troops in India is based, not on any merely numerical computation, but on a number of factors including, for instance, the various functions now allotted to the Army in India and the existence of technical branches such as the Royal Air Force and the Royal Tank Corps. The actual proportion for the whole Army in India may be taken as 1 to 2.4. The proportions laid down in 1859 were 1 to 2 for the Bengal Army and 1 to 3 for the Madras and Bombay Armies; but these related only to cavalry and infantry units. For the reasons stated, no real comparison can be drawn between the two sets of figures.