§ 56. Mr. Sorefasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's response to requests for aid and assistance as a result of the Wankie Colliery disaster.
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§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeAll Members of this House will have been shocked to hear of the major Wankie Colliery disaster in which 430 miners lost their lives, including some citizens of the United Kingdom.
I sent a personal message on 6th June to Mr. Smith expressing the deep sympathy of the people and Government of the United Kingdom for the families and friends of all those involved in the disaster, and I asked if we could help in some way with the relief of distress among the families concerned. I received a reply on 8th June informing me that our condolences had been conveyed to the families of the victims and that a relief fund had been set up to alleviate distress among those families.
Her Majesty's Government have decided to give £25,000 to this fund for this purpose. Supplementary provision for this expenditure will be requested from Parliament in due course, and meanwhile an advance is being sought from the Contingencies Fund to cover the disbursement.