HC Deb 27 February 1890 vol 341 cc1348-9
MR. HENRY H. FOWLER (Wolverhampton, E.)

I bog to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the Reports of the Departmental Committee appointed to inquire into the question of further reductions in the Staff of the Supreme Court of Judicature?

THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. W. H. SMITH, Strand, Westminster)

The Reports for which the right hon. Gentleman asks are those not of an ordinary Departmental Committee, but of a confidential Committee appointed to advise the Government on certain points. Under these circumstances, I regret it is not in my power to give the information asked for; but I shall be glad to show the Reports to the right hon. Member confidentially. Perhaps, however, it would meet his views if, before the Supreme Court Estimate is discussed, there is laid on the Table a statement of what has been done, and what remains to be done, to carry out the recommendations of former Committees presided over by the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls, which were referred to in the debates of 1888.