SUMMARY JURISDICTION (IRELAND) BILL. (Hansard, 16 July 1918)

THE MARQUESS OF CREWE
My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord opposite—I understand that the Lord Privy Seal is not in his place, and that therefore we cannot expect a detailed examination of the Bill—to give us some information as to its general provisions. For even the most general outline we shall be grateful.

§ LORD CLINTON
My Lords, this is a Bill which I understand to be entirely of a legal and technical character. Its object is to remove in two instances difficulties that have arisen in the administration of the Summary Jurisdiction Code in Ireland. Does the noble Marquess want further particulars?

THE MARQUESS OF CREWE
Well, if we could have a few more.

§ LORD CLINTON
A good deal of inconvenience is caused in County Dublin owing to the fact that cases arising in that part of the county which is outside the Dublin metropolitan district are not recognised by the county justices, but have to be treated before a Dublin police magistrate. This entails a good deal of inconvenience and expense to the police and public at large, and a memorial has been received from the county justices asking that the matter should be set right by legislation. This is clone by Clause 1. This measure has 856 passed through the other House and there has been no discussion and no objection raised to it.

THE MARQUESS OF CREWE
I am very much obliged to the noble Lord.

§ EARL BEAUCHAMP
My Lords, I think your Lordships would wish to congratulate the noble Lord who has just sat down on having clearly read a brief, which he had not looked at before he rose to his feet to ask your Lordships to give a Second Reading to this Bill. This is not a proper way of treating your Lordships' House. It is a very clear want of respect. The Lord Privy Seal, who put down the Notice on the Paper, neither attended in his place to explain the Bill nor asked any other noble Lord to do it on his behalf. It is quite true that we are living in difficult times, but that is no reason why for the first time, I think, your Lordships should be treated with such scant respect as on this occasion. I hope your Lordships, if you do give a Second Reading to the Bill, will make it quite clear that you will not tolerate such treatment on any subsequent occasion, and that, if Bills are moved, they should be moved by the noble Lord who is in charge of them, or by some other noble Lord who has had an opportunity of getting up the question beforehand.