HC Deb 13 August 1896 vol 44 c739
MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN (Kilkenny)

I beg to ask the Attorney General for Ireland whether his attention has been directed to a notice in a recent number of the Dublin Gazette, of certain new Orders to be made by the Judges of the Court of Bankruptcy, under which the official assignees may be empowered to act as official liquidators in the winding up of companies; whether he is aware of the fact that when a Bill was introduced in the late Parliament to sanction that and other charges, the Measure was abandoned by the late Government owing to the strong opposition of the whole commercial public of Ireland, and especially of the north of Ireland; and, if so, whether the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland will withhold his sanction from the Orders referred to; and, in view of the fact that an Act of Parliament was thought necessary by the late Government to enable the Bankruptcy Court to do what the Orders purport to effect, will he explain why the matter is being dealt with by Orders?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. J. ATKINSON,) Londonderry, N.

These Rules are only published provisionally. Any person interested can object to them, and all objections will be carefully considered by the Lord Chancellor and the Judges in Bankruptcy before the Rules are approved of by them. The Rules do not require the sanction of the Lord Lieutenant, but must be laid before Parliament before coming into force. The Bill referred to in the Question was much wider than these Rules in its scope, and sought to authorise the Official Assignees to act as administrators of deceased persons, managers of lunatics' estates, and in other matters. The objections to the Bill do not, therefore, apply.