HC Deb 14 June 1945 vol 411 c1813W
Mr. Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) under what arrangements a regular Indian Army officer who was transferred to the Indian Army on or after 1st September, 1939, and who is still serving in that Army, can vote at a Parliamentary election in this country;

(2) under what arrangements a regular Indian Army officer who joined the Indian Army before 1st September, 1939, and who is still serving in that Army, can vote at a Parliamentary election in this country.

Sir D. Somervell

Regular officers of the Indian Army are not eligible to be registered on the Service Register since, as my predecessor explained in his reply of 26th September, 1944, to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bristol (Mr. Culverwell), the object of the law is to enable the Parliamentary franchise to be exercised not by all British subjects who are members of the Armed Forces of the Crown, but by those who are resident in, or would but for their war service, be resident in the United Kingdom. A regular officer of the Indian Army who before the outbreak of war chose a career of service in India clearly does not qualify under this criterion any more than a member of the Indian Civil Service or the Indian Police, or any other British subject resident abroad.