§ MR. PETER M'DONALD (Sligo, N.)asked the Secretary to the Treasury, If his attention has been called to a recent Report of the proceedings in the Irish Court of Bankruptcy presided over by Judge Miller, by which it appeared that a number of cases, some of which were over thirty years in liquidation, now came up, after the audit of the chief clerk, Re Charles Henry James, ex-official assignee; and, whether the Government purpose introducing a Bill to remedy these and other abuses in the Irish Court of Bankruptcy?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. HENRY H. FOWLER) (Wolverhampton, E.)I have not seen the Report to which the hon. Member refers; but I have made inquiries, and find that 362 a number of cases were set down for audit lately of very old standing, three or four being of more than 30 years' standing. In no case was the balance a large one, and I am informed that these very old cases were probably overlooked when the Court was remodelled in 1857. The cases to which this explanation does not apply are of much less standing, probably 10 to 20 years. I do not know that there is any intention on the part of the Government to introduce an Irish Bankruptcy Bill.