§ MR. BANISTER FLETCHER (Wilts, Chippenham)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether he will incorporate provisions for the self-government of England, Wales, and Scotland in the Bill he proposes to revise, relating to the Government of Ireland, instead of introducing separate Bills for those objects; and, whether he 1143 will call such revised Bill the Government of Great Britain and Ireland Bill?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. E. GLADSTONE) (Edinburgh, Mid Lothian)I am afraid I cannot give the pledge for which this Question appears to ask, as it seems to me at present that there are two grave objections to the course submitted by the hon. Member. One is that any attempt to deal with England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland in respect of self-government in one and the same Bill would entail an amount of complication in the provisions which it would be scarcely possible to include in one single measure. The other is that the question seems to imply that the wants and wishes of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland are the same. I have no evidence before me which would lead me to assume that this is the case.