§ SIR WALTER B. BARTTELOTasked the Secretary of State for War, Whether the Act which he is to introduce consolidating the Army Discipline Regulation Acts is simply a consolidating Act, or introducing new provisions also? If alterations were made at that late period of the Session it would be hardly possible to discuss them.
§ MR. CHILDERS, in reply, said, he was much obliged to his hon. and gal- 627 lant Friend for asking him that Question. He might say that Parliament passed, in 1879, an Army Discipline Regulation Act, since when two Acts had been passed altering, at some considerable length, minute points in the earlier Act. Extreme inconvenience was felt by persons who had to deal with courts martial in having to refer to three Acts instead of one. He proposed to bring in a Bill solely consolidating the previous Acts, which would be accompanied by a certificate of Counsel that no change was made by the Bill, which was a very long one, as it consolidated three Acts. He trusted the House would allow him to introduce the Bill that evening. For the convenience of Members he had references given to the existing Acts, showing where their different provisions could be found in the Consolidation Bill.