§ SIR CHARLES DILKE (Gloucester, Forest of Dean)beg to ask the Attorney General (1) whether his attention has been called to a correspondence between the Brass Workers' Society and the Clerk of the Peace of Birmingham as 905 to costs in trade prosecutions; (2) whether the costs of prosecutions arising out of labour disputes for persistently following and other similar offences under the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875, where the accused elects to be tried by indictment, are payable out of the public funds; (3) whether he is aware that it has been the practice of the Clerk of the Peace at Birmingham to make orders directing that the costs of such prosecutions in labour disputes where the accused elects to be tried by indictment be paid out of public funds instead of by the complainants themselves; and (4) whether he will give instructions to the Clerk of the Peace to discontinue the same?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir RICHARD WEBSTER,) Isle of WightUntil the Question of the right hon. Gentleman appeared my attention had not been called to the matter to which he refers. In the absence of any special circumstances, the answer to the second paragraph is in the negative. I am informed that it has not been the practice of the Clerk of the Peace of Birmingham to make the orders suggested in the third paragraph. It is not in my power give any instructions to the Clerk of the Peace.