THE O'CONOR DONasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether it is not the fact that all process servers attached to the Civil Bill Courts in Ireland are obliged to keep books in which are entered all processes, renewals, or other court documents served by them; and, whether these books must not be produced by them at each sessions, and the correctness of the entries sworn to; and, if so, how it came to pass that some of the process servers declared their inability to furnish the information sought for in a Return ordered by the House during the last Session of Parliament as to the number of Civil Bill processes served in each quarter sessions district in Ireland?
§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACHThe process servers of Ireland are not under my control, and I cannot fairly be considered responsible for their acts. I may, however, state that they are required to keep books of the kind referred to by the hon. Member, and to produce them at the sessions. But they did not declare their inability to furnish, in reply to the Parliamentary Return in question, information as to the number of civil processes served, or on the other points mentioned by the hon. Member; but in a few cases they were unable to classify the numbers according to the amount, as required by the order, not being bound by law to enter in their books the amount of each process.