§ MR. KNOWLES (Salford, W.)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if he is aware that, at a meeting of the Municipal Associations held in July, a resolution was passed, asserting that considerable inconvenience is caused to Municipalities by the delay at present existing in the holding of local inquiries by the Local Government Board, preliminary to the granting of sanctions for loans and the issuing of Provisional Orders, and suggesting that additional Inspectors should be appointed, or some other means adopted whereby inquiries shall be more speedily held; and whether he intends to take steps to increase the staff of Inspectors of the Local Government Board?
§ *MR. H. H. FOWLERI am aware of the resolution passed at the meeting referred to. The increase which has taken place in the number of cases for local inquiries by the Engineering Inspectors of the Local Government Board has been very great. In the present year the number of such cases up to the 12th of August was 835, whilst in the corresponding period of 1889 it was 407. Under these circumstances, it is impossible 1101 to avoid some delay in holding the inquiries. The matter, however, is receiving consideration.