HC Deb 23 April 1883 vol 278 cc908-9
MR. SEXTON

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether any Rules have been made by the Irish Judges, for the conduct of Criminal Business, under the powers conferred upon them by the Judicature Act; and, if so, how copies of those Rules can be procured; whether it is true that a person who desired last week to purchase at the Queen's Printers (Messrs. Thorr) in Dublin, for a copy of the Rules made by the Irish Judges under the powers of "Prevention of Crime (Ireland) Act, 1882," was informed that he could not be supplied with a copy as the Queen's Printers had been directed by the Dublin Castle authorities to print only a certain number of copies for private use; and, whether there is a copy of the Rules last-mentioned in the Library of the Four Courts, Dublin; and where copies can be had by those who need them?

MR. TREVELYAN

Sir, I am informed that the Judges have not made any Rules for the conduct of criminal business under the powers conferred upon them by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act, 1877—no occasion for the making of such Rules having arisen. The power to make Rules under the Prevention of Crime Act is vested in the Lord Lieutenant and Privy Council, and not in the Judges. When made, they were published in The Dublin Gazette, and are, of course, procurable by the public in that form from the Queen's printers. A few copies were printed separately for official use, and one of those is, I understand, in the Library of the Four Courts, Dublin. With regard to the incident mentioned in the second paragraph of the Question, I have as- certained that a gentleman went to the office of the Queen's printers and asked, not for the Rules, but for "a form under the Crimes Act, a copy of which was in the Four Courts' Library." He was told that no forms were on sale; and that, if any such had been printed, they were for official use, and the whole stock had been sent to the Government. He does not appear to have made it clear what he wanted. Had he done so, I have no doubt that he would have obtained, without difficulty, a copy of The Gazette containing the Rules.