§ MR. SEXTONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he is aware that, as the result of several months of Correspondence with the Irish Local Government Board, Major Spaight, one of their Inspectors, held an inquiry, on the 2nd of last month, into the validity of the return of Mr. Hunter, a Guardian of the Poor for the Lakeview Division of the Sligo 1538 Union, in the month of March last; whether the returning officer of the Sligo Union declared Mr. Hunter elected by a majority of seven votes, and whether the Local Government Board decided, upon the Report of their inspector, that Mr. Hunter was in a minority, and there had been a majority of five valid votes on the side of Mr. M'Dermott; but, nevertheless, the Local Government Board did not declare Mr. M'Dermott to be the elected Guardian, but declared that an order for a new election would be issued; and, whether steps will be taken to withdraw the Board's letter of the 2nd instant, to the clerk and returning officer of the Sligo Union, and to declare Mr. Mathew M'Dermott the elected Guardian for the Lakeview Division?
§ MR. TREVELYANSince the inquiry referred to in the Question of the hon. Member, Mr. Hunter has furnished to the Local Government Board some additional information, with which he was not prepared at the inquiry, with regard to six votes which it had been proposed to deduct from the number recorded for him. On testing the information thus received the Local Government Board found that the six votes in question were valid votes and ought not to have been deducted. He consequently retains a majority of votes, and the Board's instructions for a new election have been withdrawn.