§ MR. MACNEILLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that on the Petty Sessions Bench at Ramelton, County Donegal, a town with 1,700 inhabitants, of whom fully half are Roman Catholics, there are six Magistrates, and of these five are members of the Irish Episcopal Church and one a Presbyterian; and whether he will consider the propriety of taking steps to secure that members of the Roman Catholic faith should form part of a Court in which justice is administered to so large a Roman Catholic population?
§ * MR. JACKSONI am an unwilling assistant of the hon. Gentleman in his self-imposed task of taking a religious census of the officials of Ireland; but the Secretary to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland reports that there are seven Magistrates attending the Petty Sessions mentioned. The religious denominations of six of these Magistrates is, it is believed, as stated in the question. There is no information on this point as regards the seventh, nor is there information as to the relative proportion of the several religious denominations in the district, though I am informed that the statistics of the hon. Member are inaccurate. The Lord Lieutenant of the county is always ready to consider the names of 20 any properly qualified Roman Catholics submitted to him, and the Lord Chancellor to give effect to such recommendations when made.
§ MR. MACNEILLThere is a vacancy on the Petty Sessions Bench. Will the right hon. Gentleman undertake that if a Roman Catholic gentleman is recommended and found qualified he shall be appointed?
§ * MR. JACKSONIt is quite out of my power to give any such undertaking; but I am sure if the hon. Member will recommend to the Lord Lieutenant of the county or the Lord Chancellor a suitable person, that recommendation will be most carefully considered.
§ MR. MACNEILLI do not intend that the Lord Lieutenant or the Lord Chancellor should dispense patronage to me.