§ MR. NEWDEGATEsaid, he wished to ask Mr. Attorney General, Whether the attention of the Government has been directed to the circulation of Lottery Tickets by different Societies in Ireland, great numbers of which have been sent by Post to different persons in England; whether the issuing, circulating, disposing, and purchasing of such Lottery Tickets is not illegal, and does not render the parties liable to heavy penalties; and whether, if the practice be continued, the Government will be prepared to prosecute the offenders?
THE ATTORNEY GENERALsaid, in reply, that he believed that certain charitable associations in Ireland had been endeavouring to raise money for charitable objects in that country by means of tickets which, in the eye of the law, bore the character of lottery tickets; and, unless the transactions were legalized under the Art Unions Act they would in his opinion certainly be illegal. The practices described in the question of the hon. Member seemed to be of an illegal character, and such as, speaking generally, would subject the perpetrators to penalties. To enable the Government to judge whether the evidence was sufficient for the purposes of prosecution it would be necessary that charges should be made, and that those charges should be supported by proper evidence.