§ The Lord Advocate moved the second reading of the Registration of Voters (Scotland) Bill.
§ Sir W. Raesaid, that as he did not object to the principle of the bill, he would not oppose the motion to have it read al second time. However, be entertained very great objections to many of the details, and particularly to the constitution of the proposed Court of Review. It was proposed that the new court should be composed of three barristers to be appointed by the Speaker of that House. Now, he did not think that the right hon. Gentleman could have sufficient knowledge of the qualifications of Scotch barristers to enable him to make those appointments. Besides this, he entertained several other objections to the bill; but as they were not objections of principle he would not oppose the second reading.
The Lord Advocatefelt obliged to the right hon. Gentleman for the attention be had paid the subject. He was glad that the right hon. Gentleman had no objection to the establishment of one Court of Review, as it was highly desirable to have a 287 uniformity of decision. With respect to the constitution of the new court, he did not apprehend the difficulties which the right hon. Gentleman had stated, and he thought that they would be able to find at the bar in Scotland men fully qualified officially to discharge those duties. He begged to say, that he had framed his bill as carefully as possible, and he trusted that the House would discuss it in a fair and candid spirit.
§ Bill read a second time.