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5.
Mr. James Callaghan
asked the Secretary of State for War what report he has received on the reasons for the 1st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers not receiving their Christmas parcels.
Mr. Head
The hon. Member will now have received my letter dealing with the inquiry into this delay.
Mr. Callaghan
As the reply which I have just received says that the last troops did not receive their Christmas parcels till 6th March, can the Minister tell us what steps he takes to ensure that, when troops are posted to outlying islands, mail communications are kept up?
Mr. Head
The hon. Member will see that the somewhat unfortunate set of circumstances outlined in my letter were the cause of some delay. This was accentuated by the fact that there is no very frequent shipping between these islands.