§ MR. WALKER (Leicestershire, Melton)To ask the Prime Minister whether he will arrange that, from the beginning of next session, all Bills introduced into this House, other than those applying to the British Dominions beyond the seas, shall bear upon the outside some indication to show whether they apply to the whole of the United Kingdom or only to one or more of its constituent pares.
(Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman.) At present every Bill applying exclusively to Scotland or Ireland contains the word "Scotland" or "Ireland," as the case requires. It might, perhaps, be possible by means of directions given to the Government draftsman, in the case of Government 146 Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Congested Districts Board have purchased the Furlong, Brown, Bird, and Harding properties in Kilcrohane parish, county Cork; and, if so, can he state the price paid, arrears due at date of purchase, and yearly rent of each estate, also the total amount of first-term, second-term, and non-judicial rents, and from what date the Congested Districts Board will be liable for interest on purchase-money.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Congested Districts Board have purchased the estates named, the required particulars in regard to which are as follows:—
Bills, and to the Public Bill Office, in the case of private Members' Bills, to have Bills distinguished by the letters E., S., I., E.S., E.I., or U.K., so as to indicate their application. But there is no ground for supposing that the existing practice has caused difficulty or given rise to general complaint. And the multiplication of small rules of this kind is much to be deprecated. They cause delay. They are apt to be forgotten or overlooked, and their non-observance supplies a pretext for raising petty points of order, and for demands that a Bill be reprinted and re-issued in a correct form.