§ LORD STANLEY OF ALDERLEYasked Her Majesty's Government, Whether, in consequence of a decision of Mr. Justice Fry, persons who have insured in Insurance Offices which give a participation in the profits will be liable for the debts of those Insurance Companies; and whether Her Majesty's Government intend to bring in a Bill to remedy this state of things?
THE LORD CHANCELLORsaid, he would endeavour to give the best answer he could to the Question; but he must submit to the noble Lord that it was a somewhat inconvenient course to adopt, with regard to a decision which had been given by one of the Primary Courts of Law, to ask the Government what their opinion of that decision was, and whether they meant to introduce a Bill in consequence of it? Of the particular details of the Judgment to which the noble Lord referred, he had no accurate means of informing himself; but he was told that it would give quite an inaccurate description of the Judgment to speak of it in the way in which it was described in the Question, or as going to the length which was there indicated. He was informed that the Judgment in this particular case had not the universal application the noble Lord supposed. He would merely add that the Judgment was one against which anyone who was affected by it, and considered himself aggrieved by it, might appeal. If the Judgment were ill-founded, it would be reversed; if it were pronounced to be consistent with law, the House would probably not expect the Government to introduce a measure to alter the law, in order to meet the exigency of one particular case.