§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if'he will state whether, at present, the 79 quashing by the Judge Advocate-General on behalf of His Majesty of convictions by Courts-martial is obligatory upon military authorities and is final; and whether, under the proposal of the War Office Committee that a Judge Advocate should report to the Army Council, it will be competent to the Council to reject or disregard such report either wholly or in part; and whether the opinion of the present Judge Advocate-General has been, or will be taken before the Report of the Committee is adopted as to the expediency of depriving soldiers of the legal protection afforded by the supervision of the administration of military law by a competent judicial authority independent of military and War Office control.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. ARNCLD-FORSTER, Belfast, W.)The quashing of the proceedings of a Court-martial by the Judge Advocate-General is at present final and obligatory on the military authorities As the whole subject is receiving careful consideration, I am not now in a position to reply to the rest of the Question; but the views of the Judge Advocate-General will naturally be sought.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLHas the present Judge Advocate-General been consulted?
§ MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERI have been in communication with him.