§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state on what date, and for what reason, did the late Irish Chief Crown and Treasury Solicitor, Mr. Lane-Joynt, vacate his appointment; whether he voluntarily resigned his position, or was called upon to do so, and, if so, by whom, and on what grounds; and whether his vacation of office was connected with the accounts, moneys, or expenditure of the intestate 1155 estate of Victor Levy de l'Herault, deceased, or any other estate, whilst under his direction or control; what was the total amount expended by the Irish Government and its officers, from first to last, out of the Victor Levy de l'Herault intestate estate in their searches, journeys, inquiries, advertisements, law, and other payments and expenses with the object of finding any next-of-kin and heirs-at-law to that intestate estate, which proved unsuccessful, and in opposing applicants to the fund and property which had come into the hands of the Irish Government by reason of this intestacy.
(Answered by Mr. Atkinson.) The late Mr. Lane-Joynt's office was abolished in 1888 as a result of the adoption of a Scheme of reorganisation and rearrangement of offices, whereby the offices of Solicitor to the Treasury, Solicitor to the Board of Works, and Crown Solicitor for the County and City of Dublin were consolidated and united in the office now held by Sir P. Coll. The abolition of Mr. Lane-Joynt's office was in no way connected with the de l'Herault Estate. Accounts were rendered to the Treasury when the matter of that estate was wound up in 1899. It would be contrary to practice to disclose such accounts, and I have no materials which would enable, me to distinguish the items detailed in the Question.