§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (the EARL of HARDWICKEIn asking your Lordships to allow this Bill to be read a third time, I desire to answer a question that was put to me last night by Lord Hertford, and to which the noble Lord attached great importance. The question was whether the duration of the Yeomanry training was to be seventeen or fourteen days. The new regulations provide that the regimental training will take place between 21st May and 30th September during sixteen consecutive days, exclusive of day of arrival and dismissal, but there is a Regulation which provides that commanding officers may grant leave to officers and yeomen during the regimental training for a period not exceeding two days. Therefore the difficulty which the noble Lord referred to of men being required to serve into the third week does not arise, as the commanding officer in such a case can grant them the two days leave necessary to bring their term of training into two weeks.
§ Bill read 3a (according to Order) and passed.