§ 2.18 p.m.
§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ LORD PETHICK-LAWRENCEMy Lords, I beg to move the Second Reading of the India Franchise Bill. This Bill is a very humble little measure and does: not make any substantial change in the law. It is designed really to serve two quite small purposes. The main object of the proposed legislation is to secure that the absence of any person lay reason of war service, whether with the Armed Forces or otherwise, shall not impair his residential qualifications so as to prevent his right to vote when the exercise of that right becomes practicable—that is, that such person should not be disfranchised by reason merely of the fact that he has since lost his residential qualifications—and secondly, that persons on war service whose names have never actually been included in the electoral roll but who have, while on war service, acquired other qualifications to be enrolled as electors, shall not be deprived of the vote by lack of the prescribed residential qualification.
The second object of the Bill, which is dealt with in Part IV of the accompanying Schedule, is to effect what is essentially a drafting Amendment to secure that the term "military service" in the existing franchise provisions shall be extended to embrace service in any branch of His Majesty's Armed Forces, whether naval, military or air. The 98 question arises in respect of the electoral qualifications for the Provincial Legislative Assemblies, past military service not being recognized as a qualification for the franchise for either the Provincial Legislative Councils or the Central Legislature. When the Sixth Schedule of the 1935 Act was drawn up it was decided, largely for convenience, in order to avoid further complications in an already complicated piece of drafting, to use only the term "military," but the great expansion that has taken place in recent years in the Indian Navy and Air Forces, and the services rendered in the present war by these branches of His Majesty's Regular Forces, have made it anomalous that persons who have served in the Army alone should be singled out for enfranchisement. Perhaps I might add this relevant consideration. A statement has, I understand, been already made in India to-day that there will be provincial elections in the course of the coming cold weather in India. Therefore the passage of this Bill at this juncture is of importance in order that proper steps may he taken in India to put right the very small anomalies which it is the object of this Bill to cure.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(Lord Pethick-Lawrence.)
§ On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.