HC Deb 04 March 1948 vol 448 cc497-8
2. Mr. William Teeling

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what arrangements are being made to supply the Deputy High Commissioners in India and Pakistan with alcohol and tobacco necessary for entertainment purposes; and whether it is on the same basis as for our Embassies and Legations abroad or our High Commissioners' Offices in Canada and elsewhere.

The Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (Mr. Gordon-Walker)

The supply of alcohol and tobacco for entertainment by the Deputy High Commissioners in India and Pakistan rests with the officers themselves. The Deputy High Commissioners receive tax free allowances, out of which they are expected to meet expenses of this kind. They enjoy the privilege, granted on a reciprocal basis by the Governments of India and Pakistan, of exemption from customs duty on imported goods. The same conditions apply to officers of similar status on the staffs of High Commissioners in other Dominions, and, I understand, generally speaking, to His Majesty's Representatives abroad.

Mr. Teeling

Is that a rule which has come out recently, or was it applied when India and Pakistan first became Dominions?

Mr. Gordon-Walker

There has been no new rule brought in. This is the rule which is applied to our staffs in all the Dominions.