§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. H. H. FOWLER,) Wolverhampton, E.asked for leave to introduce a Bill to enable persons to be registered for the purpose of Parliamentary, County, and Municipal Elections with more speed and accuracy.
MR. T. M. HEALY (Loath, N.)said he wanted to say a word on this subject. He observed that the Bill referred not only to Parliamentary and Municipal but to County Cleaned Elections. The Secretary for Scotland had given notice of a Registration Bill as regarded Scotland, and he wanted to know if an Irish Registration Bill was to be introduced.
§ MR. H. H. FOWLERNo.
MR. T. M. HEALYsaid that if the right hon. Gentleman said that he was not going to bring in an Irish Registration Bill, then he would say that, of all countries in the world that had need of a Registration Bill, Ireland stood most in need of one. He could assure the House 352 that he would not allow one stage of the English Registration Bill to pass until Ireland was included in it.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER(Sir W. HARCOURT,) Derbyhoped the hon. Member would not object to the Bill being introduced. It was of great importance.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURsaid he had no objection to the Bill being introduced, but he had the strongest objection to its being introduced without some explanation to the House. He recollected that last. Session he was not allowed to introduce Bills without a preliminary speech, and he thought the right hon. Gentleman would only be following practice if upon a Bill of such importance as this—one of the most important, he understood, in the Government programme—he made some sort of explanation.
§ *SIR W. HARCOURTthought that was so with regard to highly contentious Bills, but a line should be drawn between those Bills which were highly contentious and such a one as was now under discussion.
§ Leave was consequently refused.