§ MR. JOYCE (Limerick)I beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether, at the trial of Mr. William McKinlay, a Clyde pilot, held at Glasgow on 15th May, 1907, for reckless navigation on the Clyde, there was any nautical assessor with pilotage knowledge assisting the sheriff who tried the case, and, if not, can he say whether, taking into account the highly technical nature of such cases, he will in future have such assessors appointed to assist in such trials; and can he say if this is the practice in the other parts of the United Kingdom.
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. THOMAS SHAW, Hawick Burghs)I have nothing to add to the Answers given by my right hon. friends the Secretary for Scotland and the President of the Board of Trade on this subject. I have no power to appoint assessors. The practice appears to be the same in the three kingdoms. I may add that should the inquiry into pilotage referred to by the President of the Board of Trade in his Answer on 4th November take place I would be very glad if this question of assessors were included in the investigation.
§ MR. JOYCEIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that in such cases in England a nautical assessor always assists the Judge?
§ MR. THOMAS SHAWAccording to the information furnished me by the Board of Trade that is not so.
§ MR. THOMAS SHAWI shall be pleased to do so, but I would point out that this was a criminal and not a technical proceeding.
§ MR. JOYCEWhere did the criminality come in? Was it not the reckless navigation of the naval officer?