[BILL 131.] SECOND READING. (Hansard, 16 April 1888)

§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)
said, he would suggest that the Bill should be read a second time with the object of referring it to the General Committee on Law. He did not know if there would be any objection to that.

§ COLONEL NOLAN (Galway, N.)
said, it was an extraordinary way of doing business to make such a Motion, within 1444 a few minutes of midnight, after a considerable number of Irish Members who had been present during the evening had left, having had no sort of intimation that the Bill was coming on. There was every disposition to discuss the Bill in a reasonable spirit; but it required considerable attention, and he had no doubt that, had they known this Motion would be made, Irish Members of the Legal Profession would have been present. It was unreasonable to propose that stage of the Bill at such a time. He had no intenting of "talking out" the Bill, but he trusted that the good sense of the Government would postpone the measure until such a time when those Members interested might take part in the discussion. He should be disposed to oppose the second reading; but there were many of his Friends better able to discuss the Bill on its merits, and he would like to have their advice. Several questions he would like to ask. For instance, he had never seen any of such Bills pass and not create new places. As a general rule, a Bill of this kind meant increase in salaries, the increase not being made in the Bill itself, but by a small supplementary Bill introduced as a necessity of the first immediately afterwards, whereby somebody got £2,000 or £3,000 a-year for doing work in Ireland, or else there was a fresh shuffle of offices, and one or two gentlemen got considerable promotion. After all, no practical Court of Criminal Appeal was instituted, and no good came out of the change. The question of referring this Bill to the Law Committee was one of a certain amount of importance, and the Government might have condescended to communicate with Irish Members and to consult their wishes as to whether the Bill should go to a Grand Committee or a Select Committee. He had, as he said, no intention of talking out the Bill—[Laughter]—not the slightest intention of doing that; but if any other Irish Member desired to speak on the subject he would be quite right in doing so. He only asked the Government that in this, which was not to be an "Irish Session," they would not bring on Irish Business within a few minutes of 12 o'clock in this hap-hazard manner without Notice.

§ MR. BIGGAR (Cavan, W.)
said, he regarded the proposal of the Government as exceedingly irregular in proposing 1445 the reference of the Bill to a Grand Committee, without any previous discussion of its general principle. It was a Bill that should specially come under the cognizance of Irish barristers and Irish lawyers, who knew the working of the Irish legal system, and how far the Bill would be beneficial. Especially was it desirable to know what effect it would have upon salaries. He mentioned, some 10 years since, an instance of a Bill to empower legal procedure being introduced, with promises that it would reduce the staff of legal officials at the Four Courts.; but the Bill, being carried out, there had not been, so far as he knew, a single reduction, the squandering of public money going on as strikingly as ever. It was not the slightest use bringing forward the Bill without explanation. He had not read the Bill, and had heard no explanation of its contents; and it appeared to him the only reasonable course now was to adjourn the debate for resumption again when Members of the Irish Bar would be present, and give it adequate consideration. He would, therefore, move the adjournment of the debate.

§ MR. SPEAKER
The hour has struck, and there is no necessity for the hon. Member to make that Motion.