MR. STAVELEY HILLsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to fill up the vacancy in the Court of Queen's Bench, caused by the death of Mr. Justice Hayes?
MR. GLADSTONESir, I have conferred on this subject with my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor. The House will remember that, before the last General Election, three extra Judges were appointed with the view of their discharging the duty of trying Election Petitions. That business has almost entirely gone by, and, consequently there is a great abundance of judicial strength. Therefore, it is not the intention of Her Majesty's Government to fill up the vacancy which has been created on the judicial Bench. 246 Indeed, there is a special reason for not doing so now, because Bills, having reference to the Higher Courts of Judicature, have been announced in the Speech from the Throne. There may be some inconvenience arise from the relative strength of the judicial Bench in different courts pending the consideration of those measures; and, with the view of supplying a remedy for that temporary inconvenience, my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor will introduce a Bill next week in the House of Lords.