§ 9. Lord CLAUD HAMILTONasked the Home Secretary whether His Majesty's Government will introduce and pass a measure empowering magistrates to issue warrants for the summary arrest of women of notorious bad character who are infesting the neighbourhood of the various military camps in the United Kingdom, to the detriment of the morals and health of the troops, and further to empower the magistracy to commit such women for detention in a hospital or reformatory until the close of the War?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. McKenna)While the Government recognises the serious nature of the evil to which the Noble Lord alludes, I fear it would not be possible to deal with it effectively by such legislation as he recommends. We must rely partly on the organised efforts 178 which are being made by voluntary women workers and partly on the firm enforcement of the existing law by the police and the magistrates.