§ MR. O'DOHERTY (Donegal, N.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to the action of certain Local Authorities in Scotland with regard to forbidding the importation of cattle from Ireland generally;whether any distinction is made by these Authorities either as to the locality or port from which cattle are sent or as to the sort of cattle, whether store or dairy cattle;whether any disease has been traced to any, and what, Irish port, and what class of cattle was affected;whether he will call the attention of the Scottish Authorities to page 22 of the last Report of the Agricultural Department of the English Privy Council, where it is shown that 69 per cent of the cases of pleuro-pneumonia in Scotland are shown to be in the dairy stock of Glasgow and Edinburgh;whether he will make representation in the proper quarter in Scotland, so as to pre- 367 vent these powers of sanitary regulations from being an injury to the export trade of Ireland;whether it is a fact that two years ago some similar action was taken, but afterwards modified, so far as the ports of Derry and Belfast were concerned, on the protest of the Irish Authorities;and, whether he will take similar energetic action to have the same modifications made immediately?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)I fully recognize the importance of the subject to which this Question refers, but it appears on the Paper without Notice;and it is impossible for me to be in a position to answer it without previous communication with the Departments concerned both in London and Dublin.
§ MR. O'DOHERTYWill the right hon. Gentleman endeavour to do so at once, if possible?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes, I will.