BLACKWATER (YOUGHAL) WOODEN BRIDGE BILL.—THIRD READING. (Hansard, 28 June 1866)

§ MR. M'KENNA
said, he rose to move the third reading of this Bill, and in doing so he must state that its effect would be to enable the Grand Juries of the counties of Cork and Waterford to purchase the bridge at a price to be fixed by a valuator. He had just been informed, however, that the consent of the Crown was required to be given at this stage of the Bill.

§ COLONEL FRENCH
seconded the Motion.

§ MR. CHILDERS
said, that according to the rules of the House, it was necessary that Her Majesty's consent to the Bill should be signified before it could be read a third time. That consent could not be given for reasons which he would briefly state to the House. On the face of it the Bill appeared to be of a very innocent character. It proposed to enable certain counties to purchase a bridge, and recited that the bridge had been erected by means of money borrowed from "certain person or persons" on debentures or some other security. Now, the fact was that those "person or persons" were the Crown, and it was proposed by the Bill to compel the Crown to accept a sum of money without compelling anybody to pay such money. The Crown was bound on one side, but the counties were not bound on the other. The Crown, although interested in the matter, could not, by the Standing Orders of the House, oppose the Bill before the Select Committee. The attention of the House having been called to the subject, he hoped some alteration would be made in the Standing Orders with the view of preventing such Bills from being passed through the House, almost without the knowledge of the Crown.

§ MR. M'KENNA
said, he regretted that the hon. Gentleman had addressed such a statement to the House. The bridge in question was not built by the Crown, the greater portion of the money having been obtained from individuals. [" Order, order!"]