§ MR. JOHN CAMPBELL (Armagh, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that several Judges have recently expressed strong opinions on the conduct of magistrates in refusing to admit prisoners to bail; and whether he will issue a circular to all justices urging upon them the advisability of granting bail in all suitable cases, and especially of acting in accordance with the spirit of the Bail Act, 1898.
§ MR. AKERS-DOUGLASI would refer the hon. Member to the printed Answer which I gave on May 2nd† last year, to a Question on this subject put to
† See (4) Debate, exxviv., 93.93 me by the hon. Member for West Carmarthen. The views of the Home Office and of the Judges on this subject are well known to justices, and I have no reason to think that they fail generally to act upon them. I do not, therefore, think that any useful purpose would be served by the issue of another circular at the present time. It seems to me better that the Department should continue to watch the working of the Bail Act, 1898, and should call the attention of the justices to any individual cases of hardship that may come to its notice.