§ Mr. HARTSHORNasked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the decision given by the Court of Appeal on Friday the 7th instant in the actions of Ford v. Blurton and Ford v. Sauber on the right to trial by jury, in Which it was held that the provisions of the Administration of Justice Act, 1920, had in effect taken away the right to trial by jury in civil cases: to the remarks of the Lord Justices that they doubted whether this far-reaching effect had been intended by Parliament: to the observations of Lord Justice Atkin that the principle of trial by jury was the bulwark of liberty and the shield of the poor from the oppression of the rich and powerful; and to the hope which the Court had expressed that the result of the decisions in the actions referred to might direct public attention, to a question of serious importance and might lead to a recon- 1716W sideration of the subject; and, if so, whether the Government is prepared to take steps to at once restore the former right to trial by jury, subject only to such limited restrictions as may be deemed desirable?
§ Mr. SHORTTI would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Attorney-General on the 17th July to a question by the hon. Member for Bodmin (Mr. Foot).