§ Sir W. Waylandasked the Secretary of State for War what are the privileges conferred on Members by the military pass issued to them in July, 1940, and, in particular, whether it enables Members to move freely in all regulated areas; and as the regional commissioners do not seem to be aware of the existence of this pass, will he inform them of its exact value to the holders?
§ Sir J. GriggAs my predecessor indicated to the House on 9th July, 1940, the military passes to which my hon. Friend refers were issued to Members in order to enable them to reach the House from their homes or constituencies in the event of an emergency which might have involved the blocking of roads or railways. They were not intended to, and do not, in fact, give Members right of access to places which are subject to special restrictions. I fully recognise, however, that it is necessary that Members for constituencies in which military restrictions have been imposed should have facilities for access to their constituencies, and it has accordingly been arranged that whenever such restrictions are imposed a special permit will be sent to every Member of Parliament whose access to his constituency is in any way affected by the restrictions.