HC Deb 30 July 1894 vol 27 cc1243-4
MR. JORDAN (Meath, S.)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that four persons, appearing on the voters' list for South Meath Division, Summerhill Polling District for 1893, were objected to at Revision Sessions, and their names struck out—namely, No. 57, Owen Brennan; No. 424, Peter Kiernan; No. 177, Thomas Darby; No. 669, Laurence Weir; and that, notwithstanding the decision of the Revising Barrister disallowing their votes, these persons appear on the voters' list for 1894, numbered respectively, No. 48, No. 372, No. 155, No. 746; who is responsible for this transaction; is he aware that two persons in the same polling district—namely, Michael Gogerty and Peter Kennedy, appeared on the Register for 1893, numbered 304 and 421; and, although they were not objected to nor struck off by the Revising Barrister, their names do not appear on the list for 1894; whether he will ascertain if the four wrongly allowed on and the two wrongly struck off the list belong to different political Parties; and whether, as the majority in this division was narrow, strict inquiry into the circumstances will be ordered?

MR. J. MORLEY

The Clerk of the Crown and Peace informs me that none of the names mentioned in the first paragraph were struck off at the Revision Sessions held in 1893, nor did Laurence Weir appear on the Register for that year as No. 669. All the names appear on the Register for 1894. The reply to the third paragraph is in the affirmative, and the Clerk of the Crown and Peace states that the omission of the two names from the Register for 1894 could only have occurred through a printer's error, as he prepared the Register from the revised lists very carefully. When the omission of these two names was pointed out to him he wrote to the printer for the original copy furnished from his office, but received no reply to his communication. He is not aware to what political Party any of the persons last named belong.

MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)

I should like to explain it was not intended by putting this question to cast any reflection on the Clerk of the Peace for Meath. Although he is a strong Conservative we think him quite incapable of anything of the kind. But I have a list of 10 cases in another district, as to which I shall have to put a question to the right hon. Gentleman.