§ EARL SPENCERasked the Lord Privy Seal, Whether he could answer the Questions which his noble and learned Friend (Lord Herschell) put to him last Monday as to certain Returns bearing upon the present state of Ireland?
§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (Earl CADOGAN), in reply, said, that all the Returns which had been asked for on Monday would be supplied with two exceptions. The noble and learned Lord 691 opposite had asked for a Return showing the number of persons proceeded against under the Criminal Law and Procedure Act, the number of those acquitted and convicted respectively, the nature of the charges, and the result of appeals. Directions had been given for the preparation of these Returns. The noble and learned Lord had also asked whether the names of the acting magistrates could be given in the Returns? With this request the Government could not comply. A Return was also asked for of the number of cases which had been brought to the notice of the Government, including the cases which had not been followed by prosecution. That was rather a vague request, and the Government could not consent to prepare such a Return. The noble Earl (Earl Spencer) had asked for information as to the number of derelict farms. Now, such information had never yet been collected with the object of publication in statistical form, and the Government were at present inclined to agree with their Predecessors that it would not be convenient to publish the figures as a Return; it would be most difficult to present such a Return in a complete and accurate shape. The Return which the noble Earl desired of the number of people under protection would be prepared and produced as soon as possible.
§ LORD HERSCHELLasked, whether there would be any objection to publish the names of the magistrates who had heard cases if they were not connected with any particular trial? Further, their Lordships were aware that the Land Act of the Government had rendered evictions unnecessary, and had substituted a notice which had the effect of turning a tenant into a caretaker. He did not know whether the Government possessed a record; but if they had, he hoped they would consent to a Return showing the number of cases in which this substituted proceeding had been taken advantage of.
§ EARL CADOGANsaid, he would confer with the Chief Secretary for Ireland upon the point.
§ EARL SPENCERsaid, that the other day he spoke entirely from memory on the subject of derelict farms. He had not had an opportunity of inquiring at the Irish Office as to what the practice had been; but he certainly was under the impression that an attempt was formerly 692 made to collect some information of that sort, though not in a form intended for publication. He thought, however, information might be prepared for publication in a shape similar to that taken in the Returns relating to Boycotting. These Returns showed the number of people wholly Boycotted and the number olny partially Boycotted. As to the Return of persons under police protection, he wished to know whether the noble Earl proposed to give a table comparing one period of six months with another period of six months?
§ EARL CADOGAN, in reply, said, that it was intended to renew the Return presented in July last, and put it side by side with the Return of the 31st January. As to derelict farms, he might add that it would be very difficult to obtain any Return which could be considered complete. At all events, the information could only be obtained through the police, who might not be the best judges as to whether a farm was derelict or not. The Return would therefore be incomplete, and, perhaps, hardly trustworthy.