§ MR. VERNON HARCOURTsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he has any objection to lay upon the Table 409 of the House, Copies of the Judgments from time to time delivered by the Judges appointed to try Election Petitions, setting forth the grounds of the Certificates and Reports presented to this House in the case of such Petitions, in order that Members of this House may have authoritative information of the existing state of the Law as judicially declared with respect to Corrupt Practices at Elections; and, whether Her Majesty's Government will be prepared to introduce a Bill for the further amendment of the Laws relating to Corrupt Practices at Elections?
MR. BRUCEsaid, the judgments were not in the possession of the Home Secretary, nor under the authority of the Home Office; he was therefore unable to order the production of the documents in question. Under the Act, a reporter from the House of Commons was ordered to attend and take down the evidence given at each trial of an Election Petition, but no directions had been given with regard to the judgments, and he was not aware whether any authentic record of them existed. With respect to the latter portion of the Question, the course the Government intended taking was indicated by the Notice of Motion he had given a few minutes before.