§ Mr. BOTTOMLEYasked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that the sheriff for the county of London is about to be appointed and that it will be part of his duty to appoint the Parliamentary returning officers for the various London boroughs, the Government will take steps to ensure that in the case of all Metropolitan boroughs for Parliamentary elections the town clerks shall be made the returning officers, as in the case of municipal and county council elections?
§ The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Asquith)The duty of appointing fit persons to be returning officers for the Metropolitan boroughs rests by statute with the incoming sheriff of the county, 1146 and it is not within the province of the Government to interfere, whether by way of suggestion or otherwise, with the exercise by the sheriff of his statutory discretion in that behalf.