HC Deb 10 March 1902 vol 104 cc880-1
MR. DILLON

I beg to ask Mr. Attorney General for Ireland whether he is aware that, in the year 1889, the then Attorney General for Ireland issued a volume of judgments of the Superior Courts in that Country in criminal cases, consisting mostly of decisions on Law points under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1887, and that this book has been circulated by the Crown among Crown prosecutors, Crown solicitors, and resident magistrates, who habitually use it as an authority in Court; and, seeing that the book has never been put on sale, or any opportunity given to lawyers engaged for the defence of considering the cases reported in it, in order that the defendants' professional advisers may have an opportunity of seeing the decisions quoted against them, whether he will take steps to have this book put in circulation.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. ATKINSON, Londonderry, N.)

The volume in question has been supplied to the officials mentioned, and also to the Bar and Solicitors' Libraries. A limited number of copies of the volume were originally printed, and there are at present only about twenty of them available. These copies will, however, be placed on sale at Messrs. Hodges & Figgis Dublin, at a price to be fixed by the Stationery Office, and it is proposed to order a reprint of the work if the public demand appears to justify the expenditure involved.

MR. DILLON

Will the right hon. Gentleman see that the reprint is brought up to date?

MR. ATKINSON

It is only one year behind.

MR. DILLON

But that is very important.