§ MR. SYDNEY GEDGE (Walsall)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, as representing the Lord Chancellor, on what ground and on whose recommendation a medical practitioner at Walsall, named John Joseph Lynch, has recently been made a magistrate of that borough, the following statement of facts respecting Dr. Lynch having been on the 5th instant admitted by the Home Secretary to be correct—namely, that Dr. Lynch, having been in the habit of certifying all deaths as from natural causes, did in December last certify that a boy named William Charles Young died from natural causes, although he had not seen the boy for a month before his death, and another doctor had attended him in his last illness; that on the inquest the jury found that the boy had died from swallowing a halfpenny, and characterised Dr. Lynch's conduct as discreditable, 1224 and requested the coroner to call the Registrar General's attention to it; and that, in consequence of this and of further representation made to the Registrar General officially by the town clerk of Walsall, the Registrar General directed the Superintendent Registrar there to treat all certificates given by Dr. Lynch of deaths from natural causes as equivalent to certificates of death with a view to his holding inquests in such cases; and was the Lord Chancellor aware that Dr. Lynch was under this stigma when he was selected as worthy to be placed on the judicial bench; and whether, now that his Lordship's attention has been called to the facts, he will take steps to remove Dr. Lynch from the bench?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYI am informed by the Lord Chancellor that, following out the principles observed by all his predecessors, he thinks it is undesirable to state the grounds for any appointment to the bench, or the sources of information on which it is made, further than to state that he has satisfied himself as to the facts on authority in which he has entire confidence. If any facts are brought to his notice which would be primâ facie evidence of misconduct on the part of Dr. Lynch, the Lord Chancellor will, in accordance with the usual practice, inquire into them and give Dr. Lynch an opportunity of explaining.
§ MR. GEDGEBut as to the last question—whether the Lord Chancellor was aware that this stigma rested upon Dr. Lynch when he was appointed, and whether the Lord Chancellor will now take steps to remove Dr. Lynch from the bench? The matter is causing very great agitation in my constituency.
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYI have no information as to the state of the Lord Chancellor's information when he appointed Dr. Lynch. The last question I have already answered.