§ Mr. MEAGHERasked the Chief Secretary if he is aware that the population of the county Kilkenny is comprised of 74,830 Roman Catholics and 4,329 Protestants, and as compared with those figures there are fifty-three Roman Catholic magistrates and seventy-four Protestants; is he aware that 90 per cent. of the whole number are Conservatives by reason of the fact that no gentleman will be appointed to the position of magistrate without the sanction and approval of the lord lieutenant of the county, who is himself a Conservative; is he aware that, on his own suggestion, more than three years ago, the names of a number of highly educated gentlemen were, on the recommendation of the public bodies of the county, sent to the Lord Chancellor without any result whatever, whereas several Conservatives were appointed on the recommendation of the lord lieutenant of the county; and whether it is proposed to take any action in the matter?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe hon. Members's figures are not quite accurate. According to the last Census, there were 61,468 Roman Catholics and 2,888 Protestants in the county of Kilkenny. There are 141 persons in the county holding the ordinary commission of the peace, of whom sixty-nine are believed to be Roman Catholics and seventy-two to be Protestants. The Lord Chancellor will consider all recommendations for the appointment of magistrates that may be made to him by representative persons or bodies, and will deal with them on their merits in the circumstances of each case. He has no knowledge of the recommendations referred to by the hon. Member as having been submitted to preceding Lord Chancellors.