§ SIR FREDERICK W. HEYGATEsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether he would object to introduce into the Irish Church Bill a Clause enabling limited owners of of land in Ireland to borrow and the Commissioners for Public Works to lend sums not exceeding a fixed percentage of the value of such land, re-payable upon the principle of loans for drainage, farm buildings, and labourers' houses, for the purpose of assisting in the erection of churches, chapels, and places of worship; and when the promised Clause will be introduced into the Bill to enable the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt to lend and the Temporality Commissioners to borrow the sums required for the purpose of the Act?
MR. GLADSTONEWith regard, Sir, to the first Question of the hon. Baronet my answer would be this—I do not think that the Irish Church Bill would be the most convenient position for a clause of such a nature. It is the intention of the Government to introduce a Bill having reference to the subject in general of giving facilities for borrowing and obtaining sites with a view to objects such as the hon. Baronet contemplates, and that Bill, evidently would be the place for inserting any particular provisions of the nature to which the Question of the hon. Baronet refers. In a very short time, in fact, as soon as we are clear of the Committee on the Irish Church Bill, my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary for Ireland will be prepared to make known to the House the precise provisions of the Bill to which I refer, and the hon. Baronet will probably think we had better, perhaps, postpone the subject till then. With regard to the clause relating to borrowing, the Question is a most seasonable one, and my best answer will be that I hold in my hand a Notice of a preliminary Committee to consider the pro- 1358 priety of authorizing the Commissioners for the reduction of the National Debt to advance, with the consent of the Treasury, to the Church Commissioners of Ireland, to be appointed under the Irish Church Act, such monies as may be required for the purposes of the Act, and to take as securities any portion of the property of the Commissioners that may be convenient for that purpose. I give Notice that to-morrow I will move a Resolution in Committee to give effect to that purpose.