THE MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDErose to ask, Whether the Government object to the Appointment of a Select Committee of this House to inquire into the Constitution, Jurisdiction, and Procedure of the Quarter Sessions Courts in Ireland, with a View to their Improvement, and to the further Assimilation, so far as may be expedient, of the Civil Bills Courts to the County Courts of England and Wales?
THE LORD CHANCELLORsaid, that last year an Act was passed giving effect 1795 to the Report of the Commissioners who were appointed to inquire into the duties and the position of the officers employed in the Superior Courts in Ireland, and the changes which had been recommended by the Commissioners in reference to that matter had been carried into effect, and therefore nothing remained to be done which was recommended to be done. With respect to the Civil Bills Courts procedure in Ireland, he had to observe that two years ago an Act was passed which considerably altered the procedure of those Courts; and one of the alterations was that the decrees of those Courts should be executed by the sheriffs. Now, in practice it had been found that the officers of the sheriffs could not be compelled to perform those duties, and some inconveniences had consequently arisen. There was no doubt that in Ireland there had recently sprung up a considerable desire for an enlargement of the jurisdiction of the Civil Bills Courts; and in his opinion great benefit would be derived if the same jurisdiction in equity was given to those tribunals which was possessed by the County Courts in England and Wales. It was only recently, however, that any complaints had been made upon the subject, and the Government did not propose to introduce any Bill with respect to it. But if the noble Marquess should move for a Committee to inquire into the matter, and if their Lordships should approve of such a proposal, no objection would be offered to it by Her Majesty's Government.