Mr. SHIRLEY BENNasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been called to the hardship that may be suffered by sailors under the King's Regulations (Addenda, 1911), Article 768, which provides that if any person in possession of good conduct badges is convicted by civil power of drunkenness, disorderly conduct, or other offences on shore, or if his case is dealt with by an order under the Probation of Offenders Act, the captain is to cause him to be deprived of one good conduct badge; if, however, the circumstances are considered to be exceptional the forfeiture may be remitted, with the approval of the commander-in-chief or other flag officer whose flag is flying; whether under this Article it is possible for a person to be convicted on shore of an offence such as riding a bicycle without lights or some other relatively trivial offence, and therefore to be deprived of one good conduct badge subject only to the remitting of the forfeiture by the commander-in-chief; and whether he will consider the propriety of limiting the offences ashore for which a sailor is to be deprived of a good conduct badge to offences of a serious and disgraceful character, and of specifying such offences in the King's Regulations?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe regulation was framed in general terms in order to968W allow of a representation being made to the nearest Flag Officer in any case in which, in the captain's opinion, a hardship would be inflicted by a literal adherence to the rule. This is considered to be better, in the interests of the Service, than to attempt to define the actual offences. No cases of hardship have been represented.