HC Deb 23 June 1884 vol 289 cc1091-2
MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, With reference to the assurance given by the Government that "the Lord Chancellor would not be slow to exercise his inherent powers" in appointing Catholics to the Commission of the Peace, under certain conditions, when the Lord Lieutenant of a county unreasonably declined to recommend; whether, in the case of Mr. Martin Langton, of Bray, county Wicklow, all the conditions were fully complied with, and a requisition, numerously signed by the most influential Catholics in the district, submitted to the Lord Chancellor more than two months ago; and, whether he can state what is the cause of the delay in making the appointment?

MR. TREVELYAN

The Lord Chancellor has declined to place Mr. Martin Langton in the Commission of the Peace, and he is of opinion that the Lord Lieutenant of the county, the Earl of Meath, has not unreasonably declined to recommend him. The Earl of Meath has recently recommended to the Commission of the Peace two Roman Catholic gentlemen and one Protestant, all of whom reside in Bray or its immediate vicinity, and the Lord Chancellor has appointed these three gentlemen.

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR

inquired whether, as a matter of fact, these three gentlemen had not been appointed since his Question appeared on the Paper, and whether the recommendations of Mr. Langton were not supported as strongly as was possible by Deputy Lieutenants, several Catholic magistrates, and professional gentlemen, and a number of the most respectable tradespeople of Bray? He also asked the reason why Mr. Langton would not be appointed, and whether of the three gentlemen referred to by the Chief Secretary, one was not the ex-butler of Sir John Kingston James, another was only qualified by his mother having property at a distance from Bray; and whether the third was not a Director of an institution in Merrion Square, of which the Earl of Meath was Governor?

MR. TREVELYAN

said, he could answer some of the hon. Member's Questions, but he had better give Notice of them.

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR

Can the right hon. Gentleman state now the reason why Mr. Langton will not be appointed?

MR. TREVELYAN

No, Sir; that I will not state at all.