§ MR. STAPLETONsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether Her Majesty's Government will be prepared before the close of the next Session to propose to either House of Parliament a plan for securing a better representation of the Scotch and Irish Peers in the House of Lords.
MR. GLADSTONESir, I hope that my hon. Friend will excuse me if I say that at the present moment, viewing the condition of Public Business and our own engagements, I can make no announcement respecting the representation of Scotch and Irish Peers in the House of 41 Lords. At the same time I must express the opinion to my hon. Friend that the present rules for that representation are unsatisfactory and that the subject is one which well deserves the attention of Parliament.