§ MR. NEWDEGATEsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, Why Clause 19, of the Act 8 & 9 Vict. c. 25 (the Maynooth Act of 1845), which requires that the Reports of the Visitors of the College of Maynooth shall be annually laid before Parliament, has not been regularly complied with; what Department of the Government is responsible for complying with the Order of this House, dated the 8th of March last, by presenting the accounts, &c, required by that Order; whether any further Order on the part of the House is necessary to explain the meaning of the words "otherwise maintaining the College of Maynooth," which form part of 361 the above Order, so as to insure the production of accounts showing the sums of Public Monies voted, granted, or borrowed, that have been paid and expended for the purposes of the above College, other than for the building, enlarging, improving, and repairing the fabric thereof; and, if no further Order on the part of this House is necessary, when the above accounts, which are not included in Return No. 102 of the present Session, will be in the hands of Members?
MR. GLADSTONE, in reply, said, that no Department of the Government had any knowledge or responsibility with regard to the Reports of the Visitors of Maynooth College, but he would make inquiry on the subject, and state the result to the hon. Member as soon as possible. With regard to the recent Order of the House, the Treasury was responsible for compliance with it, and the delay in the presentation of the accounts had been occasioned by the construction put on the words calling for the accounts. The terms of the Return required a statement of the sums expended on repairs and so forth, and the words "otherwise maintaining the College of Maynooth" were understood to be in part materia; but as it was now understood that the hon. Member desired to have a statement of the mode in which the money granted by Parliament had been laid out the Treasury would present the accounts in the way desired, and it would be unnecessary to make a new Order. The Government would make every effort to place the accounts in the hands of Members as soon as possible, and he might inform the hon. Member that the Parliamentary Paper No. 301 of last Session contained a great deal of information with respect to the repairs of Maynooth College.
§ MR. PEMBERTONsaid, he would beg to ask, Whether it is not the duty of the Attorney General for Ireland to enforce compliance with the Order?
MR. GLADSTONEI am not aware that there is any peculiar duty incumbent on the Attorney General for Ireland to enforce the Orders of this House. [Mr. PEMBERTON: The Orders of an Act of Parliament.] There is really no such formidable issue here before us to bring the Attorney General into action. Compliance not having been given, it is reasonable to suppose that the matter has 362 only been overlooked, and that a proper explanation will be given.