§ MR. HODGKINSONsaid, he wished to ask the President of the Poor Law Board, Whether he has any official know-ledge that, in consequence of the Government having in the last and the present Session promoted a Bill to amend the Law respecting Parochial Assessments, the revision of the assessments in a large number of parishes is postponed; and whether there is a probability of the Bill now before the Select Committee of which he is Chairman being reported to the House so as to give sufficient time for its Consideration and being passed into Law during the present Session?
§ MR. C. P. VILLIERSsaid, in reply, that he had no official knowledge that any such consequence as that to which the hon. Gentleman alluded had followed from the course taken by the Government in that matter; but he had heard that two or three places, including the town which the hon. Member represented, were anxious that the Bill in question should pass, in order that they might have a remission of their present assessment. In reply to the second question of the hon. Gentleman, he bad to state that he had 1616 every reason to believe that the Bill would be shortly reported to the House, and that there would be ample time in the course of the present Session to pass it into Law.