Not to charge for it. Only to charge for it if air travel is necessary and a special coffin is needed to meet the requirements of the Ministry of Health.

Another question which we have considered in order to try to make things easier for the next of kin is that of the attendance of the relatives at funerals overseas. As hon. Members will know, when soldiers die in the United Kingdom, two relatives are allowed to travel to the funeral at public expense. We considered the possibility of extending that arrangement to funerals abroad, but it would not be just a question of extending those facilities to Europe, but all over the world. It would involve air passages to the Far East and remote places, and the charge to public funds would be excessive. We, therefore, had to limit ourselves to doing everything we can to keep down the costs and to give all possible help to relatives who decide to travel out to the funeral.

I should like to mention the details of the specific case of the late Private Laffin. The hon. Member said that in this case we behaved unfairly, but it would have been very unfair indeed if we had made an exception in the case of his constituent whilst not bringing back the bodies of other soldiers who died in other parts of the world. In his Questions and his letter to me, the hon. Member raised only the question of repatriation of the body. He did not give me any indication of the points which he would raise in this Adjournment debate.

So far, in what I have seen, there has been no suggestion whatever of any ill-treatment of Private Laffin, or any suggestion that he was insufficiently or inadequately cared for. If the hon. Member will let me have details, I shall be glad to look into the case. My information is that he died of an acute sudden attack of nephritis, a kidney disease.

He died on 20th February and, on 22nd February, the hon. Member got in touch with my private office. On the same day, the parents were put in touch with the Record Office at Preston, and on the next day the parents asked for repatriation of the body. Two days later, on 25th February, the remains left Berlin by air. All the administrative arrangements had been made by then by the military authorities. I really do not think there is any cause for complaint, especially on the score of promptitude. I do not think arrangements could have been made more quickly or more smoothly.

I have riot been able to add very much to the arguments which have been advanced from this Box under both this Administration and the previous one, and which are as valid now as they were under the previous Administration. We have given much thought to this question and consider it better from every point of view that soldiers who die abroad should be buried where they die, or are killed. If the next of kin desire their bodies to he brought back, we do not feel able to resist their wishes in that respect. For the reasons I have given, we do not pay for the repatriation out of public funds, but, short of that, we do everything in our power to help.