Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with his South African counterpart on the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The Secretary of State for Defence has not recently directly discussed the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) with any of his counterparts from other CWGC member nations.

The Secretary of State, as the de-facto Chair of the Commission, is usually represented by the Defence Services Secretary at the quarterly CWGC Commissioners meetings. These are attended by the High Commissioners of each of the CWGC’s member nations, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. Their presence ensures a consistent link between the Commission and the Governments of its member nations. The next meeting is scheduled to held on 3 December 2025 where key aspects of the Commission’s ongoing and future work will be discussed.