§ MR. PARNELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether, so long ago as the 19th of April, a petition was presented by the Town Commissioners of Trim to the Local Government Board of Ireland, praying that the town of Trim might be separated from the rural sanitary district of Trim Union, and be constituted an urban sanitary district; whether an affirmative reply to this petition was only returned by the Local Government Board on the 15th of July, or nearly two months after receipt of the petition, and whether this reply stated that it was now too late to obtain the necessary Parliamentary confirmation this Session of the Provisional Order; and, if so, whether he has caused inquiries to be made as to who is responsible for a delay which prevents the Town Commissioners of Trim from undertaking for another year important sanitary works necessary for the comfort and health of the inhabitants of that town?
§ MR. J. LOWTHERSir, in order to enable the Standing Orders of the two Houses of Parliament to be complied with, it is important that the necessary steps should be set in motion at an early period of the Session by the promoters of Provisional Order schemes. It appears, in this case, that the Town Commissioners of Trim consumed some time in preliminary correspondence with parties locally interested; and it was not until April 19, as stated by the hon. Member, that their Petition was received by the Local Government Board. On the 3rd of May the Local Government Board applied to the Commissioners for some further information, and on May 17 and 24, notices were published in accordance with the Statute regulating these matters. On May 31 the Local Government Board instructed their solicitor to prepare the Provisional Order, which was approved on June 17, by which time it was too late to proceed with the matter during the present Session.