§ MR. AINSWORTH (Cumberland, Egremont)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been called to the refusal of Mr. J. F. Kirkconnell, J.F. for Cumberland, to take a statutory declaration verifying alteration of Rules from the secretary of the "T. M. Healy" branch of the Irish National Foresters Benefit Society at Cleator Moor; and if anything has been done to impress upon every Magistrate the necessity of his performing his duties?
* THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. GEORGE RUSSELL, North Beds.)(who replied) said: I am informed that the Lord Chancellor inquired of Mr. Kirkconnell as to the matter complained of, and received explanations from him which showed that the complaint was in substance well-founded; but that there were circumstances of ill-health and irritation which might account for his having acted otherwise than he would ordinarily have done in the exercise of one of the duties undertaken by him when he accepted the office of a Justice of the Peace.
MR. J. W. LOWTHERasked if the occurrence referred to in the question did not take place nearly a year ago, and whether last December the Lord Chancellor did not accept Mr. Kirkconnell's explanation as satisfactory under all the circumstances?
* MR. GEORGE RUSSELLsaid, he was informed that a correspondence did take place, with the result already indicated.