§ COLONEL COLTHURSTasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether the Local Government Board may not authorise the issue of out-door relief in food and fuel (under section 3, Relief of Distress Act, 1880), in any particular union without (as now) waiting for the receipt of an application from said union; and, whether he will consider the advisability of giving power to the Local Government Board to require any board of guardians to issue out-door relief when necessary, and also continuing the said 3rd section of the Relief Act, amended as suggested up to 31st March 1882?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTER,in reply, said, that the Local Government Board could authorize the issue of out-door relief under Section 3 of the Relief Act in any Union without awaiting the receipt of an application from the Board of Guardians; but the Board of Guardians had no such power themselves. Applications had been received from about 60 Unions up to the present for special power in this respect. He was not aware of any Union in which it was necessary or desirable to coerce the Guardians to give out-door relief to able-bodied men.