§ MR. JORDAN (Clare, W.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If he has yet obtained the necessary information, or if the terms of reference have yet been settled, or, if not, when it is probable that they will be, so as to enable him to state the intention of the Government, as to referring the matter of the drainage of Lough Erne with its tributaries, and the Ulster and Ballinamore Canals, to the proposed Commission on the development of Irish resources, having regard to the fact that the interests of a large district of the north west of Ireland, including the counties of Cavan, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Leitrim, and Donegal, are affected thereby?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.)This Question, as addressed to me, has only appeared on the Paper to-day; and, therefore, I have not been able to make 9 myself acquainted with the precise position of the question of the drainage of Lough Erne. But I may say generally that the duty of the proposed Commission will be to inquire what requires to be done to complete the arterial drainage of Ireland, and how that work should be carried out. If the drainage of Lough Erne and its tributaries is not completed, or if arrangements for its completion have not been already entered into, it would fall within the scope of the Commission.