HC Deb 12 February 1863 vol 169 c262
MR. LONGFIELD

asked Mr. Attorney General, When it is likely that the English and Irish Courts of Law and Chancery Commissioners will make their Report, and what has caused the delay in their doing so?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

said, he would admit that some considerable time had elapsed since the appointment of the Commission without any Report having been made; but this, he thought, might be easily accounted for, and that it involved no imputation on the Commissioners. The causes were the nature and extent of the inquiry, and the character and employments of the Commissioners. These gentlemen were judges and barristers of large practice, some of whom lived in England and some in Ireland, and it was only at one period of the year that meetings could be conveniently arranged. He might say, however, that great progress had been made and a large amount of matter accumulated for the Report. He had not had an opportunity of communicating with the other Commissioners as to the time when the Report would be ready.