§ MR. CAREW (Dublin, College Green)I beg to ask Mr. Attorney General for Ireland if his attention has been directed to the proposed Orders relating to the procedure in the Court of Bankruptcy, Ireland, published in the Dublin Gazette of 16th June, 1899; whether he is aware that the Official Liquidator (Ireland) Bill, which was similar to the latter part of Order No. 250, was withdrawn by the late Government in 1893, and that the said Order is an exact copy of one that appeared in the Dublin Gazette of 10th August, 1896, which the Lord Chancellor of Ireland declined to sign; what objections were received against the confirmation of that Order, and what were the grounds urged in these objections; and at whose request are the proposed changes now being made, and what grounds have been given for the proposed changes.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. ATKINSON,) Londonderry, N.The answer to the first paragraph is in the affirmative. In answer to the second paragraph, the Bill in question, after having been amended in Committee, was either withdrawn by the late Government or dropped. There appears to be some resemblance between one of the clauses in that Bill and the latter part of the Order referred to, inasmuch as under both the official assignees are eligible to be appointed official liquidators. The Dublin Gazette was not published on the 10th August, 1896, and no such Order appeared in any copies of the Gazette published in August of that year. The Gazette of the 16th June, 1899, contains the print of provisional Rules recommended by the Rule recommending authority (which includes all the Judges of the High Court), and before they are made final any public body can submit objections for consideration.