§ MR. P. SCROPEbegged to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, whether he had received a letter from the guardians of the Scariff union, stating that during four weeks out of six they had been unable to give the necessary relief to the poor; that the workhouse was overcrowded, many being compelled to remain in a shelterless condition under the walls; that twenty-three persons had been seized with fever in the probationary ward in one night; that there was no milk or bread for the sick in the hospital; that some of the sick were without shirts; that the clothing of others was sadly deficient; that the sheriffs' officers had seized all the goods in the house, for debts owing by the union; and that the guardians were utterly unable to fulfil the duties enjoined on them by law. He also wished to ask the noble Lord on whom he considered the responsibility rested of relieving the poor?
§ LORD J. RUSSELLreplied, that he had received a letter upon this subject, which he had referred to the Poor Law Commissioners in Ireland. He regretted that the returns on the subject were not as complete as it was desirable they should be; they did not enter into all the necessary particulars. It appeared, however, from such information as had reached them, that in the week ending the 16th of February, 1850, the number of persons receiving relief was 2,546, and that the persons receiving outdoor relief were not less in number than 8,000. He could only state that there was great difficulty in collecting the rates of that union; that some statements had reached him which were not consistent with the letter he had referred to; that, up to the 29th of September, the advances to that union amounted to 20,000l.; that from the time the rate in aid had been established it had received 13,000l., and, from the 29th of last September to the 26th of January, 2,000l. He understood there was now a rate of 4s. 316 in the pound in the course of collection" and the inspector (Mr. O'Brien) stated that he believed an improvement was taking place in the state of the union.
§ MR. P. SCROPEWould the noble Lord allow the paper to be printed from which he made this statement?
§ LORD J. RUSSELLhad only an abstract of papers which were now in Ireland. He should have to send for them, but he had no objection to the whole statement being laid upon the table as soon as it could be received.
§ Subject dropped.