§ MR. LEWIS (Flint Boroughs)I beg to ask Mr. Solicitor-General whether he is aware that although certain provisions of the Statute 14 and 15 Vic., c. 99 (Lord Brougham's Evidence Act) are still unrepealed and in force, a Government Department has recently refused to give effect to s. 14 of that Act (which affords a simple means whereby persons desirous of obtaining certified copies or extracts from public records may do so on payment of a prescribed fee) thereby defeating the intentions of the Legislature in passing the Act: and whether, if a specific case of refusal be brought to his notice, he will be prepared to draw the attention of the Department in question to the provisions of the Statute, with a view to preventing any further breach thereof.
§ THE SOLICITOR-GENERAL (Sir R. B. FINLAY,) Inverness BurghsI understand from a private communication from the hon. Member that the question relates 1382 to the general entry book kept by the officers of Excise for each station. The statutory mode of proof of these entries is provided by s. 12 of the Revenue Act, 1867, and the proviso at the end of the section on which I understand that the hon. Member relies applies only to entries made before the passing of the Act, and refers apparently to s. 19 of the Excise Management Act, 1827. The view of the Department has always been that the Statute referred to in the question has no application to these entries, but they are about to take the opinion of the law officers on the point, by which they will be guided in the future.