§ Mr. Jesselasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions during 1976 he has received oral and written representations from the Soviet and Polish Ambassadors concerning the construction in the United Kingdom of a memorial to 14,441 Polish army officers and soldiers who died at Katyn in 1940; how many meetings have been held with each ambassador, separately or together; whether the ambassadors have accepted the position that the matter is for the relevant local authority to decide; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HattersleyIn 1976, I and senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have received a total of 10 written or oral communications from the Soviet and Polish ambassadors or members of their staffs concerning the construction in the United Kingdom of the proposed Katyn memorial. The question was discussed during four meetings held with a representative of the Soviet Ambassador, and separately, at two meetings with the Polish Ambassador. Since both I and the officials concerned have repeatedly emphasised to the ambassadors that it is for the relevant local authority to decide whether or not the proposed memorial should be erected, I do not think that they can be in any doubt about it.