§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Londonderry, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Is it a fact that, there being a vacancy in the office of Coroner for the No. 2 District of county Antrim, the High Sheriff of Antrim has announced that there will 25 be only one polling place, viz. the town of Antrim; is he aware that from one end of the district to the other the distance is about forty miles, and that the town of Antrim is about thirty miles from one end of the district; will he take into consideration that the effect of having only one polling place will be to practically disfranchise seven-eighths of the division; having regard to the fact that the electorate is the same as for a Member of Parliament, will the Government take steps to have the voting carried out with Parliamentary polling places; and, can he say how many Parliamentary polling places are allotted to the district for which only one is to be allotted for the Coroner's election?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. JOHN MORLEY) (Newcastle-on-Tyne)The facts are as stated in the Question. The fixing of a polling place or polling places for the purposes of elections to the office of Coroner is vested by law in the Justices at Special Sessions, who in this case so far back as 1847 chose the town of Antrim as the only polling place. I am advised there is no power to use in such cases the Parliamentary polling places, of which I understand there are no fewer than 12 in this district. The electorate being the same in both instances, the position is certainly anomalous; but I understand a change cannot be made unless on a requisition of five magistrates to the Lord Lieutenant. If such a requisition be presented, I think I may promise that it will be attended to.