§ Madam SpeakerI have a short statement to make. A ceremony is to be held in Westminster Hall to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of world war two. Both Houses will attend and addresses will be presented to Her Majesty the Queen.
The date and time of the event is Friday 5 May at noon. It is proposed that a short reception be held in the Hall after the ceremony.
It is the wish of the Lord Chancellor and myself that as many Members of both Houses as possible should participate. It is intended that spouses and other family members will be able to accompany them. Representatives of veterans and other organisations will also receive invitations.
In order to assist with the planning of this event, I shall be writing to all Members of the House in the next few days, asking them to indicate whether they themselves will be attending the ceremony and whether they would like members of their families also to be invited. If demand for places is very high, there may have to be a ballot for families. I shall be asking all recipients of my letter to fill in the reply slip and return it to my office quickly. I know that all Members will wish to co-operate in this and to make the ceremony a memorable one for all who participate.