§ 26. Major HAYWARDasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office how many British soldiers have been shot by sentence of courts-martial in France since the commencement of the War; and whether the Government will take steps to abolish capital punishment in the Army except for offences in respect of which the extreme penalty could be inflicted in the civil criminal Courts and for offences under Sections 4 and 7 of the Army Act?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONIt has already been stated to the House that the information asked for in the first part of the question cannot be given. The answer to the second part is in the negative, and I cannot hold out any hopes that it will be otherwise than in the negative.