§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Londonderry, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Why the Clerk of the Crown and Peace for the county of Derry delayed, until the 7th January, payment of moneys lying in the Equity side of the County Court, Coleraine Division, amounting to £162 15s. 1d., after receiving the order for payment to Morrison and Torrens on or about the 9th August; was he repeatedly applied to for it, and threatened with legal proceedings; was the Recorder in the county in the meantime conducting the Revision and Quarter Sessions; is it the common practice to delay payment of moneys to suitors in this Division of Londonderry; why is so much of the money now paid into Court in Equity cases left lying in bank without interest, when there are such facilities for investment; and, whether there have been many complaints by solicitors against the Clerk of the Crown and Peace, as to the difficulty of getting Equity business transacted in the Coleraine Court?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. JOHN MORLEY) (Newcastle-on-Tyne), in reply, said, he was informed that the delay from August to January was wholly caused by an irregularity in the form of the order brought in by Morrison's solicitor, and the whole of the October Sessions was allowed to pass without the error being rectified by the solicitor. It was not the practice to delay payment to suitors. As regards investments, money must always remain in Court, and was invested when it could be invested. There were complaints about the Clerk of the Peace not holding sittings at Coleraine. There was no statutory obligation on him to do so; but, the complaint having been brought to his notice, he had expressed his willingness to sit in Coleraine.