§ (The Lord President.)
§ (NO. 133.) SECOND READING.
§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading, read.
THE DUKE OP RICHMOND AND GORDON, in moving that the Bill be now read the second time, said, it was 852 unnecessary that he should enlarge on the advantages of the consolidation which it sought to bring about in the Acts affecting the public health of Ireland. The Bill contained 294 clauses, dealing with as many as 20 Acts of Parliament, all of which would be found referred to in the Schedule. It was strictly analogous to the English Public Health Act. The Acts of 1848 and 1856, and the various Statutes on the subject of the prevention of disease, of nuisance removal, and of sewage removals, and the powers which were conferred on various local authorities were in 1866 applied to Ireland. In 1872, there were great reforms in these Acts as they applied to England, and the country was divided into urban and rural sanitary districts, and all the old powers which were conferred by various Statutes were transferred to these new bodies. It was obviously only to simplify the law to consolidate the numerous Statutes to which he had alluded. The present Bill merely gave to Ireland the advantages which had already been given to England, and he confidently hoped their Lordships would think it a wise and proper measure.
§ Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2.a"—(The Lord President.)
VISCOUNT POWERSCOURTsaid, he had had a good deal of conversation with members of the Medical Council in Ireland, and he was happy to say that that body was most anxious that the Bill should pass. He had given Notice to move the insertion of a clause in Committee, which he would shortly bring up.
§ Motion agreed to; Bill read 2a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Tuesday next.
§ House adjourned at a quarter before Six o'clock, to Monday next, Eleven o'clock.