§ LORD MANCROFTasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether arrangements can be made for the provision as a matter of course 498WA of an official shorthand writer at Army courts martial in Germany.
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (LORD CARRINGTON)My Lords, shorthand writers are normally provided for general courts martial. There are adequate arrangements for taking records of proceedings when a shorthand writer is not available. However, it would be an unnecessary and unjustifiable expense to extend the provision of shorthand writers to trials by district courts martial, which deal, generally speaking, with cases where the court comes to its decision on relatively simple issues.
House adjourned at twelve minutes before seven o'clock.