§ On the bringing up the Report of Supp]y,
§ MR. COWANsaid, he wished to ask the Lord Advocate or Home Secretary if any complaints had been received of a grievous want of accommodation for the administration of justice and for the exercise of the functions of the Sheriffs, Procurator Fiscal, and other officials, in the Sheriffs' Court in the city and for the county of Edinburgh, and if it was the intention of the Government to adopt any measures for remedying the evil? Recent changes in legislation had caused a great deal of additional work in the Sheriffs' Courts, and the accommodation was wholly insufficient. He had received a letter from one of the Gentlemen interested in this question, which, had it not been so late, he would have read to the House. He would, however, content himself with pointing out the extremely inefficient state of the public offices in this respect.
§ SIR JOHN OGILVYsaid, he was desirous of corroborating the statement which had just been made, and to bear testimony to the inadequacy of the Courts at Edinburgh and Dundee.
§ THE LORD ADVOCATEsaid, that, no doubt, the evil of which the hon. Member 193 complained was very great, and required a remedy. He had been prevented by the dissolution of Parliament from proposing a general measure on the subject, but he hoped before next Session to direct the attention of the Government to the want of accommodation in the Sheriffs' Courts.
§ Resolutions agreed to.