§ MR. HOWESsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 22 Whether it is the intention of the Government to cause to be laid upon the Table any further Returns which may afford information as to the probable effect of the extension of the franchise proposed by the Bill for the Amendment of the Representation of the People of England and Wales, or may throw light on the grounds or scope of the provisions of the Bill, and if so, when such Returns will be laid on the Table? He said his question was not intended to refer to any Return which might be asked for by an independent Member, but it solely referred to those returns which the Government might think lit to place before them.
SIR GEORGE LEWISsaid, the Government had given the House all the Returns of which they were in possession, and he was not aware that they contemplated laying any further information before the House. The House must be aware it was utterly impossible to enter on a valuation of property for the purpose of ascertaining the rental of all the tenements in the kingdom with a view to statistical results. Even if such a survey were made, it would take many months, if not a year or so, to complete it. Therefore all the Government could do was to obtain an abstract of the rate-books, and it was open to the House to consider whether the rate-books represented correctly what they purported to represent.
§ SIR HENRY WILLOUGHBYsaid, he also wished to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he can place any statement on the Table of the number of houses between £6 and £20 rental for which the rates have been compounded for?
SIR GEORGE LEWISsaid, he was not aware whether the Returns distinguished those houses for which the rates were compounded for from other houses. If the existing Returns made that distinction, there could be no objection to produce them.