HC Deb 23 March 1855 vol 137 cc984-5

On the Motion that the House at its rising adjourn to Monday next,

MR. MACARTNEY

said, he begged to ask whether it was true that a gentleman, Mr. A'Court, had been appointed Special Income Tax Commissioner for Ireland? There were on the Irish redundant list three gentlemen under forty-eight years of age, who were fully qualified to fill the situation vacant by the removal of Mr. O'Flaherty, and who were receiving, one, Mr. Norman Savage, 400l. a year; another, Mr. Hutchins, 585l. a year; and a third, Mr. Mulvany, 400l. a year. He thought that when such vacancies were to be filled up that gentlemen fully competent, and who were experienced as public servants, would be preferred to those who were inexperienced and who were not before in the public service.

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

said, that the number of Commissioners had been reduced, and there having been a vacancy, this gentleman seemed to him a very proper person to be appointed.

MR. FRENCH

said, he must complain of the system of placing Englishmen in every office of importance in Ireland. He had looked over some of the appointments, and he found that the Lord Lieutenant was an Englishman, the Chief Secretary for Ireland was an Englishman, the Under Secretary, Colonel Larcom, was an Englishman, the Commander of the Forces in Ireland was an Englishman, the Archbishop of Dublin was an Englishman, the Inspector General was a Scotchman, the Second Inspector was an Englishman, the Chief Commissioner of Poor Laws was an Englishman, and the Second Commissioner of Poor Laws was an Englishman; the Architect, the Paymaster of Civil Services, and the Keeper of the Records were Englishmen, and one of the Commissioners of Incumbered Estates was an Englishman. He found, too, that to the office of gaoler to a debtors' prison, lately vacant, the brother-in-law of an English minister was appointed. There were two vacancies for Inspectors of Prisons, and he found that a friend of the Lord Lieutenant had been sent over to fill one of them. It was true that the Attorney and Solicitor Generals for Ireland were Irishmen, but that was because there were no Englishmen at the Irish bar. He did not think the way in which Englishmen administered the relief to Ireland at the time of the famine, and the affairs in the Crimea lately, proved that they were superior to Irishmen as administrators.

MR. WILSON

said, that the hon. Gentleman mistook in supposing that the Special Commissionership which had been just filled up was an Irish one. It had nothing to do with Ireland. When the income tax was extended to Ireland, there were two Special Commissioners appointed, but after a year it was found that they were not required, and one was appointed to an office in England, and the other's office was abolished. Sometime ago, a Commissionership of Inland Revenue became vacant, the salary of which was 1,200l. a year, and that was not filled up. But it was found necessary, in consequence of the extension of the income tax to all incomes above 100l., to appoint a fourth Commissioner, and hence the appointment in question; but the duties were discharged in this country, and had nothing whatever to do with Ireland.