HL Deb 31 March 1943 vol 126 cc1045-6
LORD DAVIES

My Lords, I beg to ask the first question which I have on the Paper.

[The question was as follows:

To ask His Majesty's Government, whether they will amend the Finance Regulations, in the spirit of the Lease-Lend Agreement, in such a way as to permit the people of this country to send to friends in the United States pieces of stone from the bomb-damaged buildings of the Palace of Westminster without exacting payment in dollar currency.]

LORD SNELL

My Lords, there is a general prohibition on the sending of gifts from this country to places outside the sterling area, and I am advised that requests for special concessions, enabling gifts of various kinds to be sent have had to be consistently refused, since the administration of concessions in such a way as to prevent abuse would necessarily involve additional work and a corresponding call upon man-power. His Majesty's Government do not consider that the circumstances of the present case are so exceptional as to justify any relaxation of the regulations.

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