HC Deb 19 March 1883 vol 277 cc806-7
MR. SEXTON

asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether the Crichton Committee of 1878, on investigating the administration of the Irish Board of Works, made the following recommendation:— We were furnished with an epitome of the Acts of Parliament relating directly or indirectly wholly or in part to duties assigned to the Board of Works, and we reckon that there are something like 300 of such Acts in the Statute Book; a good many of these Acts are spent, or become absolutely obsolete; others are only short amending Acts. It is obvious that a multiplicity of references such as is necessitated by so large a number of Statutes, adds greatly to the trouble, and difficulty of ascertaining the intentions and provisions of Parliament. We advocate most strongly that the work of consolidation should be at once taken in hand. To attempt to compress into one Act all the different measures passed from time to time by the Legislature, the administration of which has been entrusted to the Commissioners of Public Works, would probably not be feasible. We think however that at any rate the process of consolidation might be applied with great advantage to the Acts relating to the more important subjects. For instance, it would only require care and discrimination to construct one Act in each case to cover all the provisions affecting arterial drainage, land improvement, fishery piers and harbours, &c. Other miscellaneous and minor services, after being carefully classified, might be grouped together. … We recommend therefore that a lawyer conversant with the technicalities of drafting Bills should be specially appointed for the purpose of revising the statutory powers and duties of the Commissioners of Public Works, so that those who have occasion to consult any of the statutes relating to the Board and its duties may be enabled to refer to them with greater facility than at present; and, whether such recommendation has since been acted on; and, if not, whether the Government intend to act upon it?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)

The hon. Member for Sligo does not appear to have noticed that a Question to the same effect was put to my hon. Friend the Secretary to the Treasury on the 13th instant by the hon. Member for Kilkenny (Mr. P. Martin), and that he answered it at some length, stating that two Bills carrying out the recommendations of the Committee would be introduced during the present Session. He specially asked for the co-operation of Members from Ireland in passing those Bills, and he invited any suggestions from Irish Members. I can add nothing to my hon. Friend's reply.