§ Mr. Nallyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances Walter Graham Rowland, then serving a life sentence, was released from prison in 1943; whether it was a condition of his release that he should join the Army; and what action was taken to inform the military authorities of his criminal record.
§ Mr. EdeAll cases of prisoners serving sentences of penal servitude for life are reviewed from time to time, and the date when a particular prisoner can be released on licence is decided in the light of all the circumstances of the particular case. This procedure was followed by my predecessor in this case. It is not the practice to make release conditional on joining the Army, nor is it the practice to communicate to the military authorities the criminal record of a released prisoner; but steps are taken in the case of prisoners liable for military service to inform the appropriate authorities of the prisoner's release.