§ Mr. GRACEasked the Home Secretary how many persons over 16 years of age were whipped in His Majesty's prisons in the years 1927, 1928 and 1929, respectively; and, if any, how many of these received parts of their whipping on separate occasions?
§ Mr. CLYNESAs regards the first part of the question, figures of sentences of whippings passed by Courts are not yet available for 1929. The answer to the second part is none.
§ Mr. GRACEasked the Home Secretary whether any persons sentenced to be whipped and unable, in the opinion of the medical officer of the prisons, to receive their full sentence at one time are brought back at a later date to receive the remainder of their whipping; and, if so, whether, having regard to the provisions of Section 36 of the Criminal Justice Administration Act, 1914, he will see that this practice is discontinued?
§ Mr. CLYNESNo, Sir. If the medical officer stops a flogging on medical grounds, that is final and the flogging is never resumed at a later date. That has been the practice for very many years. I stated this in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading (Dr. Hastings) on the 17th instant, but misstatements on the subject are so common that I am glad to have this opportunity of again denying them.