MR. PATRICK O'BRIENI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) whether Mr. Walker Craig has been promised the appointment of County Court Judge for county Down, in which capacity it will be his duty to revise the Parliamentary register; (2) whether he is aware that Mr. Craig was the Unionist candidate for Down in the last general election, and has since been selected as the Unionist candidate for South County Down at the next election; (3) whether there is any precedent in England or Ireland for appointing a political partisan as Judge in 1609 a county where he was a Parliamentary candidate, and whether it is intended to give Mr. Craig the appointment; if so, whether an opportunity will be afforded for discussing the matter in this House before the appointment is finally made?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURIt would be altogether irregular to announce the intentions of the Executive with regard to an appointment before that appointment is made. In the meantime, the second and third paragraphs appear to be irrelevant to the question of the appointment of a County Court Judge for the county Down.