§ Mr. Doughtyasked the Attorney-General what steps are being taken to speed-up the procedure for hearing appeals from courts-martial.
The Attorney-GeneralRules amending the Courts-Martial Appeal Rules, 1952, were made by the Lord Chief Justice with the approval of the Lord Chancellor on 22nd November. These Rules, which will come into operation on 1st January, 1955, provideinter alia for a reduction of the period within which a person convicted by court-martial must present the petition required by Section 3 (2) of the Courts-Martial (Appeals) Act, 1951. It is hoped that this change will go some way towards preventing any repetition of cases where the sentence has been served before the appeal is heard.