§ MASTER OF ELIBANK (Edinburgh, Midlothian)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, having regard to the fact that there are only thirty-two Scottish Peers who are not 1037 hereditary Peers of Parliament, sixteen of whom are representative Peers, while the remaining sixteen are debarred from entering either House, are without the franchise, and are not permitted to participate in a Parliamentary election, he will, under any Redistribution scheme, consider the desirability of removing these disabilities by placing Scottish Peers on the same footing as Irish Peers, and thus conferring on certain persons in Scotland the political privileges enjoyed by the people at large.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURwas understood to say that a question relating to the status of Scottish Peers could hardly be dealt with in a Bill in the manner suggested by the hon. Member.