§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what protests he has made to the Iraqi authorities concerning the vandalising of gravestones in the Baghdad North Gate War Cemetery;
(2) how many of the headstones of British Service men in the Baghdad North Gate War Cemetery have been damaged by vandalism; when the vandalism was reported to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; and when this vandalism was reported to him;
(3) how many of the headstones of British Service men in the Baghdad North Gate War Cemetery which were damaged by vandalism marked the graves of Muslim, Christian and Jewish ex-Service men, respectively;
(4) after the vandalising of the headstone bearing the Star of David and marking the grave of a Jewish ex-Service man, by whose authority the Commonwealth War Graves Commission removed three other headstones marking the graves of other Jewish ex-Service men; and whether he will dismiss or cause the dismissal of such person forthwith;
(5) whether he has informed the families of the Jewish Service men, the 79W headstones of whose graves in the Baghdad North Gate War Cemetery were removed, that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission intends to place replacement headstones unmarked with the Jewish religious emblem of the Star of David;
(6) whether he has consulted the Jewish chaplaincy, the Chief Rabbi or other Jewish religious authorities concerning the proposal of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to omit the Jewish religious symbol from the replacement headstones of the graves of Jewish Service men in the Baghdad North Gate War Cemetery;
(7) whether he has informed the families of the three Jewish Service men the unvandalised headstones of whose graves in the Baghdad War Graves Commission were removed and the family of the Jewish Service man the headstone on whose grave was vandalised.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownInvestigations are being made into these matters, but are taking a little time to complete. I will, therefore, write to my hon. and learned Friend.