§ MR. HEALYasked the President of the Local Government Board, If he will consider the expediency of not making the Irish Registration Bill a separate measure from that for England; but, as in the case of the Franchise and Redistribution Bills, will introduce one measure for the Three Kingdoms?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES),in reply, said, it would not be necessary to have a Bill of the same character for England as for Ireland. It was thought advisable that there should be three separate Bills for the three countries. He could assure the hon. and learned Member that the Government felt the obligation of carrying the measures for Ireland and Scotland quite as much as for England.
§ MR. HEALYThe hon. and learned Gentleman is aware that the House of Lords has three times in succession rejected the Registration of Voters (Ireland) Bill; and, of course, if it is brought in now in a separate form, they will reject it a fourth time, and the only protection is to bring it in as a part of the English Bill.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES)said, the Bill that was thrown out was a Bill proposing to alter the law. There was no intention in the present Bill to alter the law with respect to the general rules of registration. Its only object was to apply the rules of borough registration to the county registration.
§ MR. DAWSONDid the hon. and learned Gentleman say that the Registration Bill for Ireland is not intended to alter the law?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES)To alter it in one sense. What we are seeking to do is to apply the rules of borough registration to the county registration, and that is the only object. So far as that alteration is needed, we undertake that it shall be applied to Ireland as well as to England and Scotland.
§ MR. DAWSONMight I ask the hon. and learned Gentleman the Solicitor General for Ireland, are we to understand that he is not going to introduce now a separate Bill for the reformation of the registration in Ireland?
§ MR. CALLANMight I ask if the law as it at present exists with regard to borough and county representation is not precisely similar?
§ [No replies.]
MR. CRAIG-SELLARasked when the Government would introduce the Scotch Registration Bill?
THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. B. BALFOUR),in reply, said, it was their intention in this Bill to take some opportunity of improving the form of the Valuation Roll, and he was in communication with some of the leading assessors on this subject.