§ THE MARQUESS OF RIPON asked the Secretary of State for India, with reference to a statement made in the House of Commons on the previous night on the subject of the Contagious Diseases Acts in India, Whether it was the intention of the Government to take steps to repeal the Acts as they had been repealed in this country, or whether it was only proposed to suspend their operation? He hoped that the Acts would be repealed.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Viscount CROSS),in reply, said, that the whole question was brought under his serious notice last year by the Bishop of Lichfield, and, in consequence of what was stated to him, he at once placed himself in communication with the 267 Viceroy upon the subject. The Answer, which was given in "another place" on the previous night, was as follows:—
In consequence of the action taken by the Secretary of State upon the Questions put to him in "another place" last year by the Lord Bishop of Lichfield, what is known as the regimental system has been absolutely stopped. The Commander-in-Chief has prohibited women from accompanying regiments on march or to camp, and also from residing in regimental bazaars. The administration of the Contagious Diseases Act in Bombay, Madras, and Bassein, the only places in which it is in force, has been suspended by the Government of India under a power contained in the Act. The Government of India is now engaged in a revision of the regulations made for preventing the spread of venereal disease in cantonments, under Section 27 of Act III. of 1880: and a despatch is going out to India from the Secretary of State in Council, which will prohibit the compulsory examination of women and the making of any regulations which can be justly construed into a legalization of prostitution.He thought the noble Marquess would see that important steps had been taken in order to do away with what was somewhat of a scandal. The action which the Government of India had taken was the suspension of the operation of the Acts. The Government of India had asked his assent to that suspension, and he had given it. The results would be carefully watched.