§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give further consideration to requests for pardons for soldiers convicted during the first world war for the offences of(a) cowardice, (b) desertion, (c) disobedience and (d) hitting a superior officer; if he will reassess the case for a pardon for Private Bert McCubbin of the Enniskillen Fusiliers; and if he will make a statement. [33740]
§ Mr. SoamesNothing has emerged since my comments during the Committee Stage of the Armed Forces Bill to suggest that the Government's decision not to recommend pardons for those soldiers executed during the first world war was inappropriate. Consequently, there are no plans to consider the issue of pardons further.