§ [SECOND READING.]
§ THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIREMy Lords, the object of this Bill is to deal with a small matter which has arisen with regard to actions which have been and might be brought against persons in the Naval service or in the employment of the Admiralty. Under the existing law these actions have to be brought within the United Kingdom, and, as your Lordships can readily imagine, this is not always a convenient practice. This Bill proposes to deal with that matter. Under the Act passed last year, prize proceedings can be transferred when they are taken against a ship or the cargo. The object of this Bill is to make such procedure apply in all cases. The course which it is proposed to adopt in this Bill is to repeal so much of Section 51 of the Naval Prize Act, 1864, as provides that actions and proceedings against any 251 person in His Majesty's Naval service or in the employment of the Admiralty shall not be brought or instituted elsewhere than in the United Kingdom. That is accomplished by the first clause of this Bill. The second clause provides that Section 1 of the Prize Courts Act, 1915—which relates to the transfer of proceedings against a ship or cargo from one Prize Court to another—shall be extended so as to apply to all proceedings pending at any time in a Prize Court. It is felt that it would be a great deal more convenient, if any such actions and proceedings are instituted, that the question should be raised before and should be dealt with by the same Court as deals with the ship or cargo.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(The Duke of Devonshire.)
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House To-morrow.