§ MR. DAVITT (Mayo, S.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India, whether he can state the relative number of native-born and British-born subjects holding seats upon the Governor General's Executive Council in India, the Viceroy's Council when it meets for purposes of legislation, and the various legislative councils in provinces which meet under the presidency of governors and lieutenant-governors; whether these native-born members are elected direct by the people or are nominated by the Government; and if he can see his way to introduce legislation with the object of making all the legislative councils of India elective, and of extending a franchise for that purpose to all British subjects, native or foreign born, who are taxed for the necessities of Indian Government.
§ MR. BRODRICK (for Lord G. HAMILTON)All the seven members of the Governor-General's Executive Council are British born subjects. Of the Legislative Council, which at present numbers twenty-one members, seven are natives of India. In the Madras Legislative Council ten out of twenty-three members are natives of India, in Bombay twelve out of twenty-three, in Bengal ten out of nineteen, in the N.W.P. and Oudh Council six out of fifteen, in the Punjab four out of nine, and in Burma two out of nine. All the members of these councils are nominated by the Government, but in every case except those of Burma and the Punjab a proportion of the seats is filled as a matter of practice on the recommendation of certain public bodies. I cannot say that I am prepared to introduce legislation for the purpose of having all the various Indian Councils elected by universal suffrage.