§ MR. D. CRAWFORD (Lanark, N.E.)I beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether he has received a copy of a synopsis of information regarding the duties and remunerations of Procurators Fiscal in Scotland recently prepared by the County Councils of Forfar and Dumfries; whether it is correct, as therein stated, that there are many Acts of Parliament of which contraventions are prosecuted in the Sheriff Court in a considerable number of counties at the cost of Her Majesty's Exchequer, and in the Sheriff or Justice of the Peace Courts in as many other counties at the cost of county funds; whether any regulation defining the statutory offences that may be prosecuted at the cost of Exchequer and local funds respectively exists; and, if not, whether he will, by means of an instruction to Procurators Fiscal, or otherwise, take steps for so defining these offences; and whether he will lay a copy of any existing regulation, or of any regulation he may make, upon the Table of this House?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Sir C. J. PEARSON,) Edinburgh and St. Andrews UniversitiesI have received a copy of the information referred to by the hon. Member, and I have no reason to doubt it may be taken as substantially correct. There is no existing regulation in regard to these prosecutions, but the subject is now receiving my consideration with the view of establishing a more uniform practice if that be possible. When I have disposed of the matter I shall be glad to inform the hon. Member of the result, but I cannot undertake that any regulation will be laid on the Table of the House.