§ MR. M'COANI desire to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland a Question of which I have given him private Notice—namely, Whether he is correctly reported in his speech at Bradford to have said that he believed the Land Law (Ireland) Bill would be passed without any material or substantial alteration; and, whether he desires to convey by that remark that the Amendments to be moved by the Irish Members will not be fairly, and so far as circumstances will allow, generously considered by the Government?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTER, in reply, said, he had not read the report alluded to, 583 Certainly, if he had stated to his constituents anything that would lead to the supposition that the Government meant not to give the usual consideration to Amendments, he did not intend to make such a statement; and he was perfectly sure that no such meaning as that was gathered by his audience. He believed that he had expressed a hope that the Bill would pass, and that it would pass in its main features. But, at the same time, he mentioned one important matter which he thought would be discussed very considerably in Committee, and, of course, he had no authority to preclude the discussion of Amendments, nor was he disposed to say anything so absurd. He trusted he should not be supposed to even wish anything of the sort.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORhoped that before the debate on the second reading closed, it would be stated what Amendments the Government would accept.