§ MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it was in accordance with the practice of the Irish Local Government Board that the financial accounts of the Armagh Town Commissioners for the year ended 31st December 1885 were not audited by the Board's Auditor, Colonel Studdart, until the 12th of July 1886; whether the ratepayers of Armagh were deprived of the opportunity of attending before the auditor, by the holding of the audit upon another date than that which had been fixed for the purpose by public advertisement; whether the auditor took note of the fact that the rates levied in Armagh are the highest allowed by law, and that on the 31st December 1885 there was a deficit of over £300, though all the rates leviable up to the 23rd August 1886 had been spent, leaving no money available for eight months of municipal administration; whether repeated applications to the Local Government Board to hold an inquiry have proved ineffectual; and, how the complaining ratepayers can obtain redress?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.)I am informed that there is no time fixed by the Local Government Board for the audit of these accounts. The audit should be carried out once a year. I am not aware that objection was taken by anybody to the course pursued, and I learn that a mistake was made with reference to the figures quoted by the hon. Member, and the mistake was corrected in the local papers the following week. The Local Government Board have no power to make the inquiry which the hon. Member suggested; but if any person felt aggrieved by any specific occurrence of the kind, he could appeal to the Court of Queen's Bench.