§ MR. CALLANasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether he purposes making any statement of the nature and extent of the intended proposals of Her Majesty's Government with respect to the tenure of land in Ireland, before proceeding with the Bill—notice of which stands in the Paper in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland—relating to the carrying and possession of arms in Ireland; and, if the Arms Bill be forced on under the plea of urgency, he will move that the Irish Land Bill should also be declared a matter of urgency?
MR. GLADSTONESir, at present I can only state, in reply to the Question of the hon. Member, that Her Majesty's Government have no intention of explaining the nature and extent of their proposals with regard to the tenure of land in Ireland until they are in a position, to lay the Bill on the Table, and until they have a reasonable prospect— I hope it will be an early one—of proceeding with it. With regard to the other matter, I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which I have already made, that I hope to be able on Thursday to make such an explanation as to the views of the Government in respect to the course and progress of Business as may be for the convenience of the House.