§ MR. JAMES ROCHE (Kerry, E.)I beg to ask the Attorney General for Ireland whether he is aware that It is the custom for the sheriff of the county of Kerry, when traders' decrees are obtained in the county court and lodged with him for execution, to issue a printed notice to the defendant's landlord, informing him that a decree has been made against the defendant, and asking him if he wishes to make a claim for rent against the defendant; have inquiries ever been made by the Government into this matter; and, if so, what was the result; could he state in how many cases in. any one year of late were such notices issued by the sheriff of Kerry; in how many of these cases wore claims sent in by the landlords; and in how many of such cases did the trader proceed to the execution of his decree after such claim had been lodged?
§ MR. ATKINSONIt is, I believe, the custom of the sub-sheriff of the county of Kerry to serve the notice mentioned in order to protect himself from the action to which he would be liable, if, with any intimation or knowledge of rent being due, he seized and removed goods without satisfying the landlord's claim. If there be anything illegal in this course he will be responsible to the parties injured thereby; it is not a matter for which the Executive are responsible. The answer to the second paragraph is in the negative. The sub-sheriff is unable to state, with accuracy, the number of cases indicated in the third and fourth paragraphs. He thinks there have been probably about 100 cases annually of the character referred to in the third paragraph, and that in about 75 per cent, of such cases the trader proceeded to the execution of the decree after lodgment of the claim by the landlord.
§ MR. KILBRIDEMay I ask the right honourable Gentleman whether any sub-sheriffs in other parts of Ireland adopt the same mode of procedure?
§ MR. ATKINSONThe Executive are not responsible for the action of sub-sheriffs.
§ MR. KILBRIDEI want to know if they do it.
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