MR. H. ROBERTS (Denbighshire, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the continued dispute between the rector of Llanarmon-Dyffryn-Ceinog, Denbighshire, and his parishioners as to his right to exact fees for tombstones in the parish churchyard; whether he will state if there is any evidence of such fees having been paid to previous rectors; if so, whether the rector has furnished the names of those who have so paid; and whether, in the absence of such proof, these fees can be legally exacted?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. ASQUITH, Fife, E.)I am not aware, otherwise than through the statement in the question, of any continued dispute be- 1135 tween the rector and his parishioners as to his right to exact fees for tombstones in the churchyard. The rector has not supplied me with any evidence of such fees having been paid to previous rectors, beyond his own statement to that effect, together with a copy of a resolution of the Vestry declaring him to be entitled to certain fees. But I must remind my hon. Friend, as I informed him on a previous occasion with reference to this case, that I have no jurisdiction whatever to decide what fees are legally claimed or not; and, if any illegal claim is made, payment, of course, cannot be enforced.