HC Deb 12 April 1951 vol 486 cc1157-8
1. Earl Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what arrangement exists between His Majesty's Government in Great Britain and the Governments of India and Pakistan for the maintenance of the graves in the military cemeteries in India and Pakistan, which were under the charge of the former Indian Government.

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

The arrangements for the care of European cemeteries in India and Pakistan formerly maintained by the Government of India were described in detail in reply to a Question by Mr. Symonds the then Member for Cambridge, on 15th March, 1949. There has been in one respect a departure from the terms of that reply. It was proposed to ask Parliament to provide a lump sum to meet the cost of maintenance and to place this lump sum in trust, to be drawn upon as required by trustees who would include the two United Kingdom High Commissioners. In view of difficulties which became apparent on further examination this proposal has been abandoned, and the United Kingdom High Commissioners, subject to my directions, are carrying out the duties which it was contemplated would fall to the trustees. Parliament has been, and will continue to be, asked to vote the necessary financial provision annually for so long as continued expenditure is felt to be justified.

Mr. Godfrey Nicholson

Does this apply only to military cemeteries, and will civilian graves in cemeteries of that kind receive the same attention?

Mr. Gordon-Walker

Yes, Sir. Military cemeteries do not really come under this arrangement at all. There are war graves which are separate, but what I have said applies to all cemeteries, those in which there are military graves and those in which there are not.