HL Deb 23 April 1912 vol 11 cc807-10

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee, read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(Viscount Haldane.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly.

[The EARL OP DONOUGHMOEE in the Chair.]

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (VISCOUNT HALDANE)

My Lords, it will probably be convenient that I should briefly explain the Amendments of the Army Act which are contained in this Bill. They are little more than routine. The first deals with stoppages out of the pay of officers in India in penal cases. It is provided, at the wish of the Indian Government, that all such cases should be reported to the Indian Government, so that the authorities there may take action upon them. The next Amendment enables the stoppage out of the pay of a soldier, when a bastardy order has been made against him, to be increased in the case of a noncommissioned officer from 6d. to 7d., and in the case of a soldier below that rank from 3d. to 4d., and there is also an Amendment making this provision apply to existing bastardy orders. There is also an Amendment extending the provisions of the Geneva Convention to voluntary aid societies in this country as well as abroad. Then there is an Amendment which is required for the purpose of the South African Government in accordance with their new Defence Act. It is a purely technical matter, simply effecting an alteration in the Army Act so as to make it work I in South Africa. There is also a provision I increasing the schedule of allowances for billeting in inns, in places where there is a legal liability, making a slight addition for the future to what the Army has to pay.

Clauses 1 to 4 agreed to.

Clause 5:

Amendment of Section 145 of Army Act.

5. The amount which may be deducted from the pay of a soldier in respect of a bastard child under subsection (2) of section one hundred and forty-five of the Army Act shall be increased, in the case of a non-commissioned officer who is not below the rank of sergeant, to sevenpence, and in the case of any other soldier to fourpence, and accordingly the words "in respect of a bastard child sevenpence" and "in respect of a bastard child fourpence" shall be substituted in that subsection for the words "in respect of a bastard child sixpence" and "in respect of a bastard child threepence" respectively.

VISCOUNT HALDANE

I move to add to Clause 5 the new subsection standing in my name.

Amendment moved—

Clause 5, page 3, line 29, after ("respectively") insert as a new subsection: (2) Where an order has before the commencement of this Act been made under the said section authorising deductions to be made in respect of a bastard child, a further order may be made increasing the amount of the deductions to be made after the commencement of this Act under the former order up to the limit authorised by this section."—(Viscount Haldane.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 5, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 6:

Amendment of Section 163 of the Army Act relating to evidence.

6. At the end of subsection (1) of section one hundred and sixty-three of the Army Act (which makes certain documents evidence) the following paragraph shall be added:— (j) Where the proceedings are proceedings against a soldier on a charge of being a deserter or absentee without leave, and the soldier has surrendered himself into the custody of any portion of His Majesty's forces, a certificate purporting to have been signed by the commanding officer of that portion of His Majesty's forces shall be evidence of the fact, date, and place of such surrender.

VISCOUNT HALDANE formally moved to omit "shall be evidence of" at the end of paragraph (j), and to insert "and stating"; and after the word "surrender" to insert "shall be evidence of the matters so stated."

Amendments moved—

Clause 6, page 3, line 39, leave out ("shall be evidence of ") and insert ("and stating")

Clause 6, page 3, line 40, after ("surrender") insert ("shall be evidence of the matters so stated").—(Viscount Haldane)

On Question, Amendments agreed to.

Clause 6, as amended, agreed to.

Remaining clauses and schedule agreed to.

The Report of Amendments to be received To-morrow and Standing Order No. XXXIX to be considered in order to its being dispensed with, and Bill to be printed as amended. (No. 35.)

House adjourned at twenty-five minutes before Five o'clock, till To-morrow, a, quarter past Four o'clock.