§ MR. MACNEILL (Donegal S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he is aware that there is a vacancy in the office of Coroner in a district of the County of Donegal; whether there are at present only two polling places at which the poll for the election of Coroner for the said district can be holden; whether the qualification of electors, voting at the election of a Coroner, is the same as the qualification entitling a person to a vote at the election of a Member to serve in Parliament; whether upwards of 7,000 persons are entitled to vote for the election of a Coroner for the said district; whether the fact that the polling places are limited to two will, in effect, disfranchise the greater part of the constituency, regard being had to the distance of the polling places from the residences of the voters, and the grave inconveniences thereby entailed; whether he has power, under the provisions of the 9 & 10 Vict. c. 37, or under those of any other Statute, or at all, to direct a Special Sessions of the Magistrates of the said district, to be holden for the purpose of fixing and determining the place or places within the said district 1773 at which the poll in such election shall take place, or whether he has any, and what, powers to increase the number of the polling places; whether he will take any, and, if so, what, steps to remedy the inconvenience to which the voters are at present subjected, and to increase the number of polling places; and, whether, pending the taking of these steps, a stay will be put upon the issuing of the writ for the election of the Coroner to the Sheriff of the County of Donegal?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)I understand that no such vacancy has been as yet notified to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland; and I do not, therefore, know to which of the five Coronerships in the County of Donegal the hon. Member refers. If, however, he will be good enough to repeat the Question, specifying the Coronership, I shall endeavour to answer it.