§ MR. H. A. HERBERTsaid, he wished to ask the right hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it was the intention of the Government to introduce any change in the law with reference to the transmission of Irish paupers from England to Ireland, as the noble Lord at the head of the Government had stated a few nights ago that he expected a large accession to the numbers of Irish poor that were constantly flocking into this country?
§ SIR G. GREYsaid, it was desirable that hon. Members putting questions should confine themselves only to the facts: the noble Lord had never meant to say what the hon. Member had attributed to him. The Government had received a deputation on Saturday last, which represented that a very large number of paupers had been removed under the law affecting the removal of Irish paupers born in Ireland, and not having settlements in this country. These removals were chiefly from Glasgow, and 12,000 (he believed) was the number stated to have taken place last year; but he did not think the real number was so great, He certainly thought there were some grounds for complaint, and that being the case he should have been ready to listen to any reasonable proposal for the amendment of the law; but he must say that he had not 638 as yet heard any proposal made that, acting on the part of the Government, he would feel justified in adopting for the amendment of the law. Since he had seen that deputation, he had received information from Scotland that a society had been established at Belfast, which was supported by voluntary contributions, for the purpose of returning Irish paupers back to Scotland. The fact, therefore (as assorted at least), was, that the paupers were legally removed from Scotland to Belfast, and illegally removed from Belfast to Scotland.
§ MR. J. O'CONNELLunderstood the right hon. Baronet the Secretary for the Home Department to say, in answer to a question from the hon. Gentleman the Member for Kerry, that he had received a representation from Belfast, that there was a society established there to return back to Scotland the Irish paupers who were sent to Belfast. He begged to ask if the right hon. Gentleman had received any notice from Glasgow of the fact that a very large number of the persons sent from Glasgow to Belfast had been persons located in Scotland, and perhaps in Glasgow itself, and who had added to the wealth of that city.
§ SIR G. GREYsaid, that complaints had been made with respect to the removal of paupers to Scotland from Ireland, and the matter was investigated by the Board of Supervision in Scotland, by whom a report was made that great dissatisfaction was felt in Scotland, in consequence of the return of paupers sent back by a society in Belfast; but he had no information of any number of cases, and he believed there was only one case where it was alleged that the paupers had been resident for a sufficient time to become chargeable.