§ *MR. W. P. BYLES (York, W. R., Shipley)I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is aware of the fact that in the year 1884 the Member for the Wokingham Division retired from a County Court judgeship on a life pension of £1,000 a year, upon a certificate of the Lord Chancellor that he was afflicted with a permanent infirmity, disabling him from the due execution of his office; and, whether, now that the hon. Gentleman has so far regained his health as to be able to undertake the onerous duties of Chairman of the South Eastern Railway Company, he proposes to continue to pay the aforesaid pension out of public moneys?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir WILLIAM HARCOURT, Derby)I have received a letter from the hon. Member for the Wokingham Division, in which he says:—
I have just by chance seen the question proposed to be addressed to you this afternoon with reference to my pension. I am sure you will give me credit for being unwilling to receive a pension from public funds to which I am not justly entitled, and, having received the pension in question from Lord Selborne, I should be happy to leave the matter entirely in the hands of the present Lord Chancellor for his decision after he had been made acquainted with the whole facts of the case.I think that is a very satisfactory answer, and one worthy of the hon. Member. It is a matter which lies in 375 the decision of the Lord Chancellor, and he will, no doubt, deal with it in due course.
§ *MR. BYLESsaid that, with reference to what had been said by the hon. Member for the Wokingham Division as to having only seen the question by chance, he had sent the hon. Member private notice of his intention the moment the question was put on the paper.