HC Deb 19 February 1884 vol 284 cc1321-2
MR. HEALY

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, "Whether there would be any difficulty in preparing a Return of the Commons and Open Spaces in Ireland, similar to that presented on the 3rd July 1865 (No. 461), showing the Commons within twenty-five miles round London; and, whether, where encroachments on Commons are threatened, as at Kilcock, county Dublin, the Government will give instructions to the police not to interfere until the question of right is settled?

MR. TREVELYAN

There would, I am afraid, be some difficulty in preparing such a Return, though I cannot think that it would be impossible. There is no Government Department which would be directly responsible for its preparation. I observe that the English Return (as appears by a note appended to it) is regarded as only approximately correct. If the hon. Member wishes to move for a Return, taking in the same radius round Dublin as is included with regard to London in the Return which he refers to, I will do my best to get it prepared. With regard to Kilcock Common referred to in the second paragraph of the Question, I have not been able to ascertain that there has been recently any more serious encroachment than the digging of a hole to bury a dead horse, for which two men were prosecuted on sanitary grounds.