HC Deb 22 March 1866 vol 182 cc734-5
MR. NEWDEGATE

said, he wished to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer a Question arising out of the statement made by him with reference to the Reform Bill. He wished to ask, Whether it is the intention of the Government to give a qualification to Copyholders and Leaseholders within Cities and Boroughs, or within Counties or Divisions of Counties within which such Cities and Boroughs are situated; and, if so, what addition to the County constituencies will be made by such provision?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

With respect, Sir, to the first part of the Question of the hon. Member, I may say that I thought my intention was declared with perfect clearness in the Bill. In reply to the latter part of the Question, the answer is, we have no means of forming anything more than a judgment of our own upon the matter, which does not admit of being made the subject of a Return. All county votes the subject of a claim depend upon the parties coming forward to make known precisely what is the state of their property, and we have no means of getting a Return in reference to it. With regard to the judgment we have formed, it is this—we look to the number of copyholders and leaseholders upon the actual register, we compare that with the number of freeholders upon the actual register, and then take into view the very large number of the copyholders and leaseholders within the limits of Parliamentary boroughs who must be disqualified from claiming for the county by the fact that they are in the occupation of their own holdings, and if they are in the occupation of their own holdings they cannot be claimants for a Parliamentary vote in respect of them. Our opinion, therefore, is that the number of persons who would be in a condition to make a claim would be a decidedly small number.

MR. NEWDEGATE

I desire to know what is the estimate of the number of voters that will be added to the County constituencies?

THE CHANCELLOE OF THE EXCHEQUER

I thought that was the very question I answered. I replied that the subject admitted only of the formation of an opinion respecting it.