MR. LLOYD MORGANI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the observations of Mr. Justice Mathew at the Kent Assizes, in the case of the Queen against Ryle, in which the prisoner had been six months in prison awaiting her trial owing to the refusal of the committing magistrate to admit her to bail, as he thought he had no power to do so; and whether he will take the necessary steps to inform magistrates as to the powers they possess under recent legislation of admitting prisoners to bail.
§ * SIR M. WHITE RIDLEYI have seen a newspaper report of the observations of the learned judge. I have no reason to suppose that magistrates generally are unaware of their powers with regard to bail, and no evidence to this effect has reached me with the exception of this one case.