MR. PATRICK O'BRIENI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that great inconvenience and loss is caused to the inhabitants of portions of the Emyvale district of the North Monaghan Parliamentary Division who have to travel a distance of 18 miles to attend the Revision Court held in Monaghan; and whether, as Emyvale is a Petty Sessions district, with a population of about 9,000, he will cause a Revision Court to be held there?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI fear I cannot add anything to the reply given to a similar question on this subject asked by the hon. Member on 6th September, 1886. Since that date no new circumstances have come under the notice of the Government tending to alter the decision then come to. The decision then arrived at was stated by the then Attorney General for Ireland (Mr. Holmes, Dublin University), who said—
The places for holding Revision Courts are not determined by the Revising Barristers, but by the Lord Lieutenant in Council. In selecting the places the convenience of the electors and the suitability of the accommodation are carefully considered, regard also being had to the fact that every additional Court imposes an additional charge on the ratepayers. Careful inquiry was recently made as to the expediency of holding Revision Sessions at Emyvale and Scotstown. It appeared, however, that Monaghan, which, is the market town of these districts, was probably the most convenient place for a large proportion of the voters residing therein; and as regards those at a greater distance, the Revising Barrister, by taking their cases first, was able to dispose of them on the first day of the Sessions. In any case, it is too late to make any change before the next Revision.