§ Mr. MacCAWasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Government have recently appointed four Roman Catholic-magistrates in the Petty Sessions district of Banbridge, county Down, making a total of eleven Roman Catholic magistrates for this district as against nine Protestant magistrates for the same area; and, if so, in view of the fact that the population of the said district consists of 9,371 Protestants and only 3,531 Roman Catholics, he will state the reason for the appointment of such a preponderating number of Roman Catholics to the magisterial bench?
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§ Mr. BIRRELLThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. Of the twenty magistrates authorised to attend the Banbridge Petty Sessions twelve are Protestants and eight Roman Catholics; only two of the latter have been appointed since 1913.