§ MR. MAHONYI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will undertake to have the Papers recently ordered to be printed in relation to the Fenit Pier and the Kerry Grand Jury in the hands of Members before the Vote for the Irish Board of Works is taken in Supply?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe Papers referred to which were recently ordered to be laid upon the Table have been this day forwarded for presentation. Upon the hon. Member obtaining an Order from the House to have them printed, it will no doubt be carried out by the responsible officer without delay.
§ MR. MAHONYMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that in the instructions issued by the Lord Lieutenant to the cesspayers of the baronies connected with the Fenit Pier Loan, and on faith of which the cesspayers gave a guarantee for £95,000, the following passage occurs:—
No portion of it (the loan) can be expended on the present canal, or in payment of the 1096 balance of the canal debt due to the Public Works Loan Commissioners, or of the instalments of the present loan";but that, in spite of this passage in the instructions, £2,500 was paid to the National Bank in discharge of a debt due by the canal, £300 and £290 were paid to the Public Works Loan Commissioners in discharge of the debt due by the canal, and £3,192 11s. 4d. was paid to the Irish Board of Works in discharge of the instalments on the Fenit Pier Loan referred to in the Lord Lieutenant's instructions as the present loan; whether interest has to be paid and capital repaid by the taxpayers as regards these sums, although these sums were paid by the Fenit Harbour Commissioners in direct contravention of the Lord Lieutenant's instructions, on the faith of which the taxpayers gave their guarantee; and, whether, if these facts be as stated, he will take steps to enforce the instructions of the Lord Lieutenant?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am sorry to say that I have not been able to make myself fully acquainted with the facts of the case. Some days must elapse before I can be in a position to answer the question.
§ MR. MAHONYCannot the right hon. Gentleman give me any idea whatever as to whether these instructions were issued by the Lord Lieutenant, and whether or not they have been carried out? I wish to know whether, in the event of a similar undertaking being given, it will be similarly broken?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not think there has been anything of the kind.
§ MR. MAHONYI put the same question to the First Lord of the Treasury, and the answer I got was that the Treasury, who are responsible for the action of the Board of Works, only cared for the security.
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. JACKSON,) Leeds, N.I answered that question, and I should not like it to go forth that that is the purport of the answer.