§ 45. Commander BELLAIRSasked the Lord Privy Seal if there have been any prosecutions since 1809 under the Sale of Offices Act, 1809, which makes it a misdemeanour to traffic in offices in the gift of the Crown; and whether the Government has any evidence that the Act has effectually stopped such sales?
The LEADER of the HOUSE (Mr. Chamberlain—who was cheered on rising to reply, upon his return from illness): I have not been able to trace any record of any prosecution under this Act. It is, of course, the fact that the sale of all offices of the character specified in the Act has entirely ceased, but to what extent this was due to the Act itself must be a matter of conjecture.