§ MR. P. O'BRIEN (Monaghan, N.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he can explain the delay of the Local Government Board in sending their Inspector to inquire into and report upon the improvement scheme for the erection of labourers' cottages adopted by the Board 884 of Guardians of the Carrickmacross Union; whether he will cause the Local Government Board to attend to this matter without further delay; and, whether he can name the date upon which the inquiry will be held?
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY (Colonel KING-HARMAN) (Kent, Isle of Thanet)(who replied) said, there did not appear to be any unnecessary delay in this case. All the documents in connection with the case were not in the hands of the Local Government Board until the 14th instant. They hoped soon to be able to make arrangements for holding an inquiry, having due regard to the claims of other Boards of Guardians.
§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Longford, N.)asked, whether the right hon. and gallant Gentleman had any objection, during the Recess, to look into the question of the delay in making Provisional Orders by the Local Government Board, and ascertain whether that was owing to a want of Inspectors, or to the fact that the legal preliminaries took an unnecessarily long time, in consequence of the fact that there was only one gentleman in charge of the Legal Department?
§ COLONEL KING-HARMANsaid, he would make inquiry into the matter, and pointed out that in this case there was no unnecessary delay, as the necessary Papers were not in the hands of the Local Government Board.
§ MR. T. M. HEALYsaid, that what he asked was that there should be an inquiry into the subject generally, because almost every Board of Guardians in Ireland was complaining of the delay.
§ MR. P. O'BRIENasked, if the right hon. and gallant Gentleman could now say when the inquiry would be held?
§ COLONEL KING-HARMANsaid,, he thought it would be held at the end of the month; but he could not absolutely fix the date.