§ MR. SMALL (for Mr. GRAY)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieu- 1675 tenant of Ireland, Whether, under the statutes of the Royal University of Ira-land, which have been, sanctioned by Her Majesty, all Senators are entitled to be present at meetings of all Committees of Senate; whether, on the 30th May, a member of the Senate requested to be informed of the date of the meeting of a Committee, so as to enable him to be present at such meeting; whether Mr. J. C. Meredith, one of the secretaries, refused to inform, him of such date, alleging that the request for information would be brought before the Standing Committee, which will not meet until July next; whether, under the eleventh section of the Charter, the statutes of the University are binding on every member thereof; whether it is the case that the statute above referred to is evaded unless information as to meetings of Committees be given to every Senator who desires to receive such information; whether secretaries of the Royal University are merely appointed by the Lord Lieutenant, but are removable by the Lord Lieutenant alone, and not by the Senate; and, whether this fact fix on the Government the responsibility of taking cognisance of the acts of a secretary in an official capacity?
§ MR. TREVELYANThe statutes of the University contain a provision which gives to all Senators a right to be present at the meetings of any Committee. This right has, however, I understand, been very seldom exercised. The Senate recently appointed a Special Committee for a particular purpose. A member of the Senate who inquired the date of the meeting of this Committee was informed by the secretary that no date had as yet been fixed. The 11th section of the Charter contains a provision as stated. The question whether information as to the meeting of every Committee is to be given to every Senator is to be brought specially before the Senate at its approaching meeting on a notice given by the Senator already referred to. It may be inferred, therefore, that heretofore the secretaries have not been expected to give such general notice. The secretaries are removable by the Lord Lieutenant; and no doubt if any complaint of misconduct were made to his Excellency, it would be his duty to consider it. No such complaint has been made to his Excellency so far as I am aware.