Mr. POWERasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has received a copy of a resolution recently adopted by the county Waterford County Council calling his attention, and that of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, to the recent appointment as magistrates for the county of Waterford of gentlemen residing in the county of Tipperary who have no residence or property in the county of Waterford; whether he is aware that dissatisfaction exists in the county of Waterford with the appointments made and with the manner in which the recommendations of the local authorities are ignored; and whether the recommendations made by the county council will be acceded to?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe hon. Member presumably refers to the recent appointment of two Tipperary magistrates to the magistracy of the county of Waterford. These gentlemen live in county Tipperary, close to the borders of the two counties, and were appointed in the usual course on the recommendation of the Lieutenant of the county who considered it desirable for the public convenience that their jurisdiction should be extended. The Lord Chancellor always considers with attention the qualifications of the persons whose names may be submitted to him by any public body for appointment to the magistracy.
Mr. POWERThe right hon. Gentleman has not answered the final paragraph: whether the recommendations made by the county council will be acceded to? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the very fact of a body like a county council recommending is enough in the minds of these Lords Lieutenant of the Counties to ignore them altogether?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Lord Chancellor will certainly not ignore any application made by any such public authority.