§ Sir G. Warrendersaid, the motion which he had to propose would not require to be prefaced by many observations. By the act of the 9th of queen Anne, ch. 5, it was enacted, that to enable a person to sit for an English county, he should possess 600l. a-year; and to sit for a city or burgh 300l. a-year, in land in England or Wales. Since the union with Ireland, property in that country was taken as a qualification for members, in the same manner as property in England, so that now the only part of the united kingdom, in which property was not admitted as a qualification for representing English counties and boroughs, was Scotland. His object was not to interfere with the general law respecting qualifications, which was deemed by some to be capable of amendment, but merely to correct an anomaly, by making property in Scotland available as a qualification for members to represent English counties or boroughs. He then moved for leave to bring in a bill "for farther regulating the Qualification of Members to serve in the United Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland."
§ Mr. Broughamsaid, that though he did not mean to oppose the introduction of the bill, nor was prepared to state at that period his assent to, or dissent from the principle of it, he should suggest one obvious primâ facie objection, with which, no doubt, the hon. mover would be met, but which it lay in his power to obviate. There was an obvious reason why, as the 1014 law at present stood, landed property in Ireland was receivable as a qualification for members to represent, places, in England. Between England and Ireland there, was a reciprocity; not only did land in Ireland qualify its possessors to represent places in England, but property in England qualified the proprietors to represent places in Ireland. But if the measure now proposed were carried in the shape in which the hon. member had brought it forward, the possessor of property in Scotland would be qualified to represent an English county, while the possessor of property in England would not be qualified to represent a Scottish shire.
§ Sir G. Warrendersaid, he had not; overlooked the objection stated by the learned gentleman; but the qualification was required in Scotland under a particular law, by which every representative of a shire was to be an enrolled freeholder: to represent a Scots burgh, no qualification whatever was requisite. For representing particular places in England (he had understood), some boroughs, in Yorkshire for instance, and the Cinque ports, particular qualifications were necessary [cries of No!]. The qualification necessary, to represent a Scots county might, be purchased for a small sum.
§ Mr. Barnettasked, whether any clause was to be introduced to set at rest the question, whether Scots peers eldest sons. were qualified to sit?
§ Sir G. Warrendersaid, he had no such intention, as he had always thought that question settled.
§ Leave was given to bring in the bill