Home Rule Part 20

Clause 25 refers const.i.tutional questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

Clause 26 abolishes religious test for the Lord Lieutenant.

Clauses 27-30 safeguards interests of Judges and Civil Servants.

Clauses 31-36, transitory and miscellaneous.

37. Save as herein expressly provided all matters in relation to which it is not competent for the Irish Legislative Body to make or repeal laws shall remain and be within the exclusive authority of the Imperial Parliament save as aforesaid, whose power and authority in relation thereto shall in nowise be diminished or restrained by anything herein contained.

Clause 38 continues existing laws, courts and officers.

[Sidenote: Mode of alteration of Act.]

39.--(1.) On and after the appointed day this Act shall not, except such provisions thereof as are declared to be alterable by the Legislature of Ireland, be altered except--

(a.) by Act of the Imperial Parliament and with the consent of the Irish Legislative Body testified by an address to Her Majesty, or

(b.) by an Act of the Imperial Parliament for the pa.s.sing of which there shall be summoned to the House of Lords the peerage members of the first order of the Irish Legislative Body, and if there are no such members then twenty-eight Irish representative peers elected by the Irish peers in manner heretofore in use, subject to adaptation as provided by this Act; and there shall be summoned to the House of Commons such one of the members of each const.i.tuency, or in the case of a const.i.tuency returning four members such two of those members, as the Legislative Body of Ireland may select, and such peers and members shall respectively be deemed, for the purpose of pa.s.sing any such Act, to be members of the said Houses of Parliament respectively.

(2.) For the purposes of this section it shall be lawful for Her Majesty by Order in Council to make such provisions for summoning the said peers of Ireland to the House of Lords and the said members from Ireland to the House of Commons as to Her Majesty may seem necessary or proper, and any provisions contained in such Order in Council shall have the same effect as if they had been enacted by Parliament.

Clause 40, definition clause.

_Summary of Finance Provisions._

(Clauses 12-20.)

Clause 13. The Irish Parliament is to have the right to impose all taxes except customs and excise.

The Irish Parliament to pay annually to the British Exchequer these sums, fixed at the level for the following 30 years:--

1,466,000 as interest on the Irish share in the National Debt.

1,666,000 towards the Army and Navy.

110,000 towards the Imperial Civil expenditure.

1,000,000 towards the Irish Constabulary.

---------- 4,242,000 in all.

The Irish Exchequer to pay annually 360,000 towards the reduction of the National Debt, and their payment of interest to be reduced in proportion.

If any reduction takes place in Army and Navy to the extent of reducing British proportions below 15 times the Irish, then the Irish to be reduced by 1-15th.

The Irish Government to receive the revenues of Crown Lands in Ireland.

If the Irish Constabulary is reduced, then the Irish contribution towards Constabulary to be reduced accordingly.

Clause 14. The first charge for the Irish contributions to be on the customs and excise collected in Ireland. The rest to go to the Irish Government.

The first charge on other Irish taxes to be (1) any deficit in Irish contribution to British Exchequer, (2) any interest on any Irish debt, (3) Irish public service, (4) Irish judges, etc.

Duty laid upon Irish Government to raise taxes equal to paying these charges.

Clauses 16 and 17. Provisions as to Irish Church Fund and Irish loans (now obsolete).

Clause 18. In case of war Irish Government "_may_" contribute more money for the prosecution of war.

Clauses 19 and 20. Machinery clauses.

(2) THE BILL OF 1893.

[Sidenote: A.D. 1893.]

A Bill int.i.tled an Act to amend the provision for the Government of Ireland.

WHEREAS it is expedient that without impairing or restricting the supreme authority of Parliament, an Irish Legislature should be created for such purposes in Ireland as in this Act mentioned:

Be it therefore enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament a.s.sembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

_Legislative Authority._

[Sidenote: Establishment of Irish Legislature.]

1. On and after the appointed day there shall be in Ireland a Legislature consisting of Her Majesty the Queen and of two Houses, the Legislative Council and the Legislative a.s.sembly.

[Sidenote: Powers of Irish Legislature.]

2. With the exceptions and subject to the restrictions in this Act mentioned, there shall be granted to the Irish Legislature power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of Ireland in respect of matters exclusively relating to Ireland or some part thereof. Provided that, notwithstanding anything in this Act contained, the supreme power and authority of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland shall remain unaffected and undiminished over all persons, matters, and things within the Queen's dominions.

[Sidenote: Exceptions from powers of Irish Legislature.]

3. The Irish Legislature shall not have power to make laws in respect of the following matters or any of them:--

(1.) The Crown, or the succession to the Crown, or a Regency; or the Lord Lieutenant as representative of the Crown; or

(2.) The making of peace or war or matters arising from a state of war; or the regulation of the conduct of any portion of Her Majesty's subjects during the existence of hostilities between foreign states with which Her Majesty is at peace, in respect of such hostilities; or

(3.) Navy, army, militia, volunteers, and any other military forces, or the defence of the realm, or forts, permanent military camps, magazines, a.r.s.enals, dockyards, and other needful buildings, or any places purchased for the erection thereof; or

(4.) Authorising either the carrying or using of arms for military purposes, or the formation of a.s.sociations for drill or practice in the use of arms for military purposes; or

(5.) Treaties or any relations with foreign States, or the relations between different parts of Her Majesty's dominions, or offences connected with such treaties or relations, or procedure connected with the extradition of criminals under any treaty; or

(6.) Dignities or t.i.tles of honour; or

(7.) Treason, treason-felony, alienage, aliens as such, or naturalization; or