Lords Sitting of 19 June 1896

EARL OF GRANARD.
Report made from the Lord Chancellor, that the right of Bernard Arthur William Patrick Hastings Earl of Granard to vote at the elections of Representative Peers for Ireland has been established to the satisfaction of the Lord Chancellor; read, and ordered to lie on the Table.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
  LAMBETH WATER BILL.
  Reported without Amendment.
  ABENSUR'S NATURALISATION BILL [H.L.]
  A Bill to naturalise Isaac Aaron Abensur, and to grant and confer upon him all the rights, privileges, and capacities of a natural born subject of Her Majesty the Queen—Was presented (on petition): Then it was moved by the Chairman of Committees that the Sessional Order of the 16th of March last, that this House will not receive any petition for a Private Bill after Tuesday the 21st day of April next, unless such Private Bill shall have been approved by the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice, be dispensed with in respect of the said Bill, and that the Bill be now read 1a; agreed to; Bill read 1a accordingly.

  DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER (JERSEY) BILL.
  LORD HAWKESBURYasked Her Majesty's Government whether any
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  decision had been arrived at relative to the Deceased Wife's Sister (Jersey) Bill, passed by a large majority of the States on March 19, 1896, and, if not, what was the reason of this unusual delay. He might add that while the Measure had been passed by a very large majority of the States it had been voted for by 95 per cent. of the elected members; and taking this into consideration, with the fact that similar measures passed by the Legislatures of all the self-governing Colonies had received the Royal Assent, the long delay in the present case seemed somewhat unaccountable.
  THE PRIME MINISTER (THE MARQUESS of SALISBURY)said that the Measure to which the noble Lord's Question referred involved some serious issues, and it was under the consideration of Her Majesty's Government. He did not think that so long a time had elapsed since the Measure had been brought under the notice of Her Majesty's Government as to justify the noble Lord's complaint that there had been undue delay on the part of the Government in arriving at a decision with regard to it. The subject involved questions of domicile, and no part of our jurisprudence was more uncertain than that which related to the law of domicile. The Measure would, therefore, have to be very carefully considered before Her Majesty's Government arrived at a decision with regard to it. ["Hear!"]

  BISHOPRIC OF BRISTOL ACT AMENDMENT BILL [H.L.]
  House in Committee (according to Order); an Amendment made; Standing Committee negatived; The Report of the Amendment to be received on Monday next.
  House adjourned at Twenty minutes before Five o'clock, to Monday next, a Quarter before Eleven o'clock.