§ MR. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)asked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland, Whether, at the recent Winter Assizes in Ireland, accused persons from the whole of Munster, with the exception of the county and city of Waterford, were tried in Cork; whether accused persons from the county and city of Waterford and other remote Leinster counties were tried in Dublin; whether enormous expense is incurred by the system of transferring prisoners and witnesses to distant counties, and much inconvenience results from the consequent absence of the Constabulary from their own counties during the prolonged sittings of the Irish Winter Assize Courts; whether there is any reason to doubt that a Circuit of the going Judge from county to county, or the grouping of a lesser number of counties, and the consequent increase in the number of Courts, would involve much less inconvenience and expense; and, whether the present arrangement conveniences anybody except the Judges and the Crown counsel?
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. GIBSON) (Liverpool, Walton)(who replied) said: In reply to the first paragraph of the hon. Member's Question, I have to answer in the affirmative. There is some, but not enormous, expense occasioned by transferring prisoners and witnesses, and some inconvenience from the absence of Constabulary; but greater inconvenience and expense would result from carrying out the suggestion in paragraph 4 of the Question. The present arrangement has been found satisfactory and for the public convenience.