§ MR. LEIF JONES (Westmoreland, Appleby)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Henry Oswin Bell, J.P., licensee of the Earl Grey Arms, Broom-hill, Northumberland, who was fined £2 and costs at Morpeth petty sessions on 27th November last, for having permitted drunkenness upon his premises on Sunday, 21st October; whether he is aware that Sergeant Short, of Broomhill, stated that on that Sunday afternoon fifty people left the public house more or less under the influence of drink; that he described the scene as a drunken procession to the village, and stated that he had never known a worse conducted house than the Grey Arms; whether he is aware that this licence was granted to the Northumberland Public House Trust Company, of which Mr. Henry Oswin Bell is the secretary, and that Mr. Henry Oswin Bell is a justice of the peace for the county of Northumberland, as well as licensee of this public house; and whether in view of this and similar breaches of the law owing to imperfect supervision, he will take steps by legislation or otherwise to secure that the holders of licences shall be resident upon the premises in respect of which they are licensed.
§ * MR. GLADSTONEI had not heard of the case in question, and as my hon. 1567 friend knows, I have no power under the existing law to take the course suggested. I will consider the matter in connection with the proposed Licensing Bill, but I do not desire at present to express any opinion on the suggestion.