§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Lord Privy Seal what explanation has been provided by the Soviet Government for refusing permission to officials of the War Graves Commission to inspect British cemeteries in northern Russia; and in how many other instances since the end of the Second World War permission has been refused for such an inspection by the Governments of other countries where there are British war cemeteries.
§ Mr. LuceThe Soviet Government's explanation for refusing permission to the officials of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to inspect British war cemeteries in northern Russia was that Archangel was closed to foreign visitors for temporary reasons.
There are commonwealth war graves in over 140 countries and from time to time, as might be expected, the Commission experiences difficulty in obtaining access to some of them. Such difficulties have usually been of a temporary nature. In no case since the Second World War has there been a permanent refusal of permission for the inspection of war graves in any country which the Commission officials have sought to visit.