§ MR. SEXTON(for Mr. T. M. HEALY) (Longford, N.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether there is a vacancy in the Coronership for the Barony of Kennaught, County Londonderry, to which an election is now pending; whether he is aware that there is only one polling place in the said barony or district—namely, at Limavady, about 16 miles from one extremity of the district and 12 miles from the other; and at the time that Limavady was fixed on as a polling place for the election of Coroner, it was also, under the old Parliamentary Franchise, the sole polling place in the said district; whether, in pursuance of the Ballot and Franchise Acts, additional polling places have been fixed at Dungiven and Ballarena in the said district; and, whether, in view of this, and the fact that the franchise qualification entitling persons to vote for a Parliamentary Representative and for that of Coroner are identical, and that if the polling places at pending election in the Barony of Kennaught be restricted to Limavady, the voters in the outlying portions of the district, amounting to at least one-half of the entire constituency, will be practically disfranchised owing to the distance they would have to travel to record their votes, steps will be taken to fix additional polling places at Dungiven and Ballarena at once, so as to be in force for the pending election of Coroner for the Barony of Kennaught, in the County of Londonderry?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)I am informed that no such vacancy has as yet been notified to the Lord Chancellor. It is quite true that the qualification of voters for the election of Coroners is the same as for Parliamentary elections; but the area of representation differs, there being four Coroners and two Parliamentary Divisions. The polling places are fixed by Special Sessions, and cannot be altered except at similar Sessions, which may be held on Memorial. Such a Memorial has been received to-day, and will be duly considered.