§ MR. O'DONNELL (for Mr. SEXTON)asked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland, If it be a fact that the Inspectors of Irish Fisheries lately audited the accounts of the Ballyshannon Board of Fishery Conservators, and found a large deficit existing; if they made any report and remonstrance to the Board on the subject; and, if so, whether he would lay a copy of their report upon the Table; if it be a fact that a good deal of the money thus found deficient was received by the clerk of the Board from many poor persons, in the shape of licence duty for fishing for salmon; if, notwithstanding the report of the Inspectors, the said Board have taken no steps to correct these abuses, or to compel the clerk to refund the money; and, as the Law requires that all money collected this year is to be handed over to the Board to be elected next October, whether he will direct the Inspectors of Fisheries to enforce this provision of the Law; and, whether he will bring in a Bill to empower the Inspectors to dismiss clerks who have acted in such a manner as the clerk of the Ballyshannon Board has done?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON)Sir, the facts are as stated in the first three inquiries in this Question, and if the hon. Member moves for the Report there will be no objection to letting him have it. As to the fourth query, the Inspectors of Fisheries, on the 21st of July last, sent to the members of the Ballyshannon Board of Conservators a copy of their Report, and requested their immediate attention to it, and that a special meeting of the Board should be at once convened to consider the state of the books and accounts of the district; but no such meeting has, so far as I can ascertain, yet been held. Care will be taken to see that the provisions of the law which require the outgoing Board to hand over the funds to the new Board (which will be selected in October) shall be enforced. The hon. Member will see that it is impossible at this stage of the Session to take the steps suggested in the last part of the Question.