HC Deb 07 April 1876 vol 228 cc1469-71

Order for Committee read.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair."—(Mr. Sclater-Booth.)

MR. M'CARTHY DOWNING

said, he wished to refer to a promise made on a former occasion by the right hon.Gentleman to remedy the hardships to which Irish paupers were subjected in their removal from Scotland into Ireland, and to complain that that promise had not been fulfilled. In consequence, the Bill would not operate beneficially with respect to Ireland, and it was exceedingly obnoxious to his constituents in Cork County. He complained of the action of the Scotch authorities with regard to Irish paupers, as compared with the treatment of Scotch paupers in Ireland.

MR. SCLATER-BOOTH

said, he thought, notwithstanding what the hon. Member had said, that the Bill would work beneficially for Scotland and Ireland, and hoped they would go into Committee and pass the first 10 or 12 clauses, and discuss the remainder at their leisure. Although his Bill had really nothing to do with the Law of Settlement, he had gone out of his way to insert clauses which, as it was, he should have the greatest difficulty in carrying.

MR. M'LAREN

complained of the reflection made by the hon. Member for Cork County as to the burden imposed upon Ireland by Scotch paupers. Why, according to a recent Parliamentary Return—No. 390 of last Session—there were 487 lunatics born in Ireland annually maintained in Scotland, while there were only 14 Scotch lunatics supported in Ireland. The paupers born in Ireland and maintained in Scotland in 1874 were in the poor-house 1,839, and those receiving out-door relief 5,836. Independently of these, there were other 5,835 dependents of such paupers receiving out-door relief. So that, while there were only 100 Scotch-born paupers maintained in Ireland and 14 lunatics, there were 11,671 Irish-born paupers, and 487 lunatics, maintained in Scotland. He complained that the Irish landlords, instead of maintaining their own paupers in their workhouses, and by out-door relief, threw the burden on England and Scotland to a large extent.

MR. MACDONALD

trusted the House would allow the Bill to go into Committee.

MR. BRUEN

denied the justice of the observations of the hon. Member for Edinburgh (Mr. M'Laren). He forgot that the unfortunate persons to whom he referred had laboured in Scotland for 20 or 30 years before they were overtaken by the visitation of Providence. Could it be said that there was any hardship in Scotland being bound to maintain those persons after having profited by their labour? What the Irish Members complained of was, that poor persons born in Ireland, after having spent nearly all their lives in Scotland and England, when overtaken by poverty were sent back to be maintained by the rates of a country to which they had virtually ceased to belong.

MR. O'SHAUGHNESSY

also questioned the accuracy of the statements of the hon. Member for Edinburgh in al- leging that the Irish send their poor over from Ireland, and said that those Irish labourers who went to Scotland worked hard for their living there.

MR. STACPOOLE

said, the hon. Member for Edinburgh made the bitterest and most unfounded speech he had ever heard against his (Mr. Stacpoole's) countrymen, and he hoped they would resent it in Edinburgh.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill considered in Committee.

(In the Committee.)

Clauses 1 to 11, inclusive, agreed to.

House resumed.

Committee report Progress; to sit again upon Monday next.