§ MR. KEIR HARDIE (Merthyr Tydvil)To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the prosecution in the Manchester Police Court of a woman charged under the Infant Life Protection Act, at the instance of the Prestwich, Board of Guardians, and the statement of the magistrate, in ordering a forfeiture of the money paid to the defendant, to the effect that there was no other form of penalty provided for by the Act and no means of recovering the money; and whether, in view of the frequency of such cases and the difficulty of dealing with them, he will consider the advisability of strengthening the law in relation thereto.
36 (Answered by Mr. Secretary Akers-Douglas.) I am in communication with the magistrates about the case referred to. This case, and that to which the hon. Member drew my attention on the 5th of this month†, appear to have arisen out of the practices of the same persons. As I then said, I fear I cannot undertake to introduce legislation to amend the existing Infant Life Protection Act, nor to recommend that facilities should be given to a Bill for that purpose.