§ DR. LYONSbegged to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether the Government have arrived at any decision with regard to the Irish Mail Contract?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)Sir, in reply to my hon. Friend, I have to say that we have decided not to propose to Parliament the confirmation of the Contract for the conveyance of the Dublin Mail made with the London and North-Western Railway Company. Before arriving at that decision we communicated with the Board of Directors of that Company, who, when informed of our reasons for not thinking that the Contact should be confirmed, at once stated that they had no wish that the House of Commons should be asked to ratify it. Indeed, nothing could be more straightforward and honourable than the conduct of the London and Northwestern Railway Company throughout the negotiations with them. Without going into details, I may say that the reason which has mainly actuated us in arriving at this decision is the importance of making provision in the Contract for the accommodation of passengers, as provided in the Treasury Minute of 1855. We shall, therefore, at once call for fresh tenders for a service providing satisfactory passenger accommodation as well as the most efficient postal arrangements.