§ Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEasked the Secretary of State for India whether he will consider issuing a White Paper, showing exactly what progress has been made in India with the examination of provincial and other questions arising out of the last meeting of the Round Table Conference, for the information of Members of this House?
§ Mr. BENNI am circulating the text of an announcement issued by the Government of India on 13th June which gives the information desired by the hon. Member.
STATEMENT issued by the Government of India on 13th June, indicating their plans to cover the ground mapped out by the Round Table Conference for intermediate expert exploration pending the resumption of the Conference negotiations, and the progress already made with expert investigation upon the specific recommendations of the Conference.
As regards the North-West Frontier Province, a single mixed committee of 54W officials and non-officials is investigating the precise discrimination of subjects between the Centre and the Frontier and the allocation of expenditure between Central and Provincial heads, to supply a basis from which the financial subvention from the Central (or Federal) revenues may be calculated. The report of this committee is expected to be ready about the middle of June.
Regarding Sind, the Government of India hope shortly to announce the setting up of a committee to examine carefully the probable revenue and expenditure of separated Sind and the security of the debt on the Sukkur Barrage. This committee will in no way be concerned with the merits of the separation of Sind. Its task will be strictly limited to an unbiassed and expert investigation into the financial aspects of separation. It will not be required even to report how any deficit should be met.
As regards Orissa, the Government of India have decided to set up, with the least possible delay, a committee to examine the whole question of separation. They are at present in communication with the local Governments concerned regarding the terms of reference, personnel and other matters relevant to the appointment of this Committee, and hope it will be possible to start work at an early date.
As for the expert Franchise Commission, there are obvious obstacles in the way of its immediate appointment. Political considerations will enter largely into its work. It would, no doubt, desire to have a clearer indication of the probable nature and method of return of the Federal Legislature and, both as regards Federal and Provincial Legislatures, it is clearly desirable that such matters as the arrangement of constituencies should be dealt with by the same body as is concerned with the franchise. In accordance with what is understood to be the view held widely both inside and outside the Conference, the Secretary of State has agreed that it would be useless for the franchise inquiry to be initiated at present before a communal settlement has been reached. These considerations point to the postponement of the inquiry at least till the autumn. The present intention is that the inquiry, when taken up, will be initiated by His Majesty's Government, 55W and it is anticipated that probably not less than six months will be required for the committee to complete its work.
In regard to the establishment of a Statutory Railway Authority, arrangements are being made to ensure that a full memorandum on the issues to be considered shall be available to the Federal Structure Committee.
The Indian Sandhurst Committee is at work and other matters covered by the report of the Defence sub-committee are being examined.
As regards the expert administrative examination of incidental points affecting all departments, the Government of India undertook a scrutiny of the administrative aspects of the classification of subjects provisionally approved by the Structure Committee, and this work will be completed by the end of the current month.
§ Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEasked the Secretary of State for India whether formal invitations have yet been issued for the further meeting of the Federal Structure Committee and the Round Table Conference; what definite date has been decided upon in each case; whether the Government intend to prepare an agenda for the Conference; and whether they intend to publish the same before the meetings begin?
§ Mr. BENNFormal invitations for the further meeting of the Federal Structure Committee have not yet been issued, but the general plans as to the date of meeting were set out in the Government communique of 30th May, and I am not at present in a position to add any more definite information. The basis on which the discussions will be resumed was described in paragraph 2 of the note of the Irwin-Gandhi conversations. No doubt an agenda of work will be laid before the Federal Structure Committee and the Conference by the chairmen of those bodies; but I cannot say whether it will be published in advance.