4. Mr. Vaneasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why members of the Control Commission for Germany and displaced persons in the British zone 1983 are both, on occasions, expected to wear blue battledress, so that the two classes are frequently indistinguishable.
Mr. McNeilMembers of the Control Commission for Germany, with the exception of car drivers and British civil police, are not required to wear uniform, although they are permitted to wear blue battledress if they so desire. Those who wear uniforms when on duty wear distinctive flashes to make them easily distinguishable from those Germans and displaced persons who have been authorised to wear blue battledress.
Mr. VaneDoes not the right hon. Gentleman think the dress regulations are absolutely ridiculous? If members of the Control Commission are expected, or allowed, to wear uniform it should at least be different from that of their D.P. drivers.
Mr. McNeilI am sure that if there was nothing else at stake that is an excellent conclusion, but if displaced persons or officials have to be clothed at the expense of the British community I would think that that conclusion was wrong. We must use what material is available.
§ Viscount HinchingbrookeIs this arrangement supposed to be an aid to democratisation?