§ MR. BRADYsaid, he wished to put a question to the noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The reply which the noble Lord gave to his (Mr. Brady's) hon. Friend the Member for Waterford (Mr. Blake) though no doubt statesmanlike and productive of a great deal of merriment—[Order, order!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERThe hon. Member must confine himself to putting the question.
§ MR. BRADYsaid, he would put the question in the hope of receiving a more satisfactory answer than had been given to his hon. Friend. He wished to know Whether, in the event of the English Re. form Bill passing into Law a Dissolution would necessarily take place before any measure of a similar kind was passed for Ireland or Scotland?
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLI have, Sir, already answered the question to the best of my comprehension, and, in now giving an answer to the hon. Gentleman, I hope he will understand that if I endeavour to 26 make the matter clear to him it is not that I am by any means sanguine of success. His question supposed that, according to law, if a Reform Bill for England were carried, a dissolution would necessarily take place after the passing of the Bill. Now, what I stated was that no dissolution would take place unless Her Majesty were advised to exercise her prerogative. By law Parliament is not necessarily dissolved till seven years from the date of a general election; and therefore it would not be until Her Majesty was advised to exercise the prerogative that a dissolution would take place. If that advice were given, then, as I stated, the dissolution would produce a general election, as well in England, where the Reform Bill had passed, as in Ireland and Scotland, where it had not. But if the hon. Gentleman wishes to ask me what would be the advice given to the Crown, that is a question to which I can give no answer.
§ MR. H. BAILLIEsaid, he wished to ask the noble Lord the Foreign Secretary, Whether he is in a position to state definitively what course will be pursued with reference to the Irish and Scotch Reform Bills.
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLIt is proposed to-night, after the debate on the English Bill, that the Irish and Scotch Bills shall be withdrawn, or postponed for three months.