§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the Prime Minister whether, as the impossibility of paying the sheriff's expenses of elections is the initial bar to poor men of merit becoming representatives of the people and preserving their independence of party wire 37 pullers, if in the present Session a choice must be made between that object and the payment of salaries to Members actually elected under the present system, he will consider the desirability, in view of the possibility of another General Election at an early date, of the payment of election expenses being in the first instance provided for?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThis question raises matters of opinion, but the Government do not see any reason to change the policy already announced.