HL Deb 20 April 1883 vol 278 cc733-4
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE

asked the Lord President, Whether he is able to state the sums for which applications have been received under Sections 18 and 20 of the Arrears of Rent (Ireland) Act, 1882, distinguishing, in the case of applications under the latter section, between these made by Boards of Guardians and these made by other bodies or persons. The noble Marquess said they were soon to have a discussion which would raise the whole question of emigration from Ireland. Whenever that came on it was desirable that their Lordships should be aware of what had been done under the existing law on that subject. It was for that reason he had put this Question. Section 18 had reference to advances to the public for emigration, and Section 20 dealt with grants of public money to Poor Law Guardians and other bodies and persons approved of?

THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY

My noble Friend (Lord Carlingford), who is unable to be present this afternoon, has requested me to reply to this Question for him. Up to the present time, applications for loans to the amount of about £2,782 have been made by Boards of Guardians under Section 18 of the Arrears of Rent (Ireland) Act, and the applications for grants under the 20th Section come to about £19,774—namely:—Applied for by Boards of Guardians, £17,589; by Mr. Tuke's Committee, £1,526;by the Ardfert Committee. £659. I should observe, however, that the money applied for by Mr. Tuke's Committee is only a very small instalment of the grants which may be made to that body, as the amount of the grants required can only be ascertained when the lists of the selected emigrants are received by the Irish Local Government Board. For the same reason, we do not know yet the grants which the Guardians want, although we are aware that they propose to emigrate a much larger number of persons than could be sent out for the sums I have named. The disparity between the loans and grants applied for is to be attributed to the fact that the difference between the Government grants and the actual cost of emigration is in many cases provided by the emigrants themselves.