§ THE MARQUESS OF RIPON, in rising to ask, Whether Her Majesty's Government intend to lay before Parliament the Report of the Committee appointed by the Home Department to inquire into the state of the lock-ups and other places in which prisoners await trial in various parts of the country? said, they were now approaching Quarter Sessions, when the question to which the Report related could be considered by the County Authorities, and for many reasons it would be well for the Report to be circulated. In some eases the work required to set matters right would entail but a small outlay;the ugh in other cases the expense would, no doubt, be considerable.
§ THE PAYMASTER GENERAL (Earl BEAUCHAMP)My Lords, the Paper referred to by the noble Marquess has been presented to Parliament, and was circulated among your Lordships on Friday. The Paper is a small one, and as a large number of Blue Books was circulated on the same day the small Paper possibly escaped the attention of the noble Marquess. The question was a grave one, and as soon as the Report reached the Home Secretary he took it into his consideration and addressed a Circular to all the County 336 and Borough Authorities in England, inviting their consideration to the matter, as they were the parties with whom its settlement mainly rested. But the se matters did not rest entirely with the se authorities, as the sanction of the Treasury might be necessary before any expenditure was incurred.