§ CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)In the absence of my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Cork, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to a resolution of the Cork Board of Guardians, passed on the 16th instant, calling attention to the great injustice done to the ratepayers of the Union in not having power to send away paupers not properly chargeable to the Union, and stating that, Cork being the first port of call for English ships, a great many of such paupers are landed there and find their way into the Union; and whether the Government will adopt the suggestion of the Guardians—namely, that a clause should be inserted in the Parish Councils Bill giving them the same power as the English Boards possess?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. J. MORLEY,) Newcastle-upon-TyneI have seen the resolution referred to. It is a fact that paupers landing at Cork, although not originally coming from the locality, may become chargeable to the rates of the Union, and I quite admit that the present law regarding the deportation of paupers operates with harshness in Ireland. But any possible change in the law would open a very wide question, and would necessarily involve complicated arrangements, and I fear it would be impracticable to act upon the suggestion contained in the resolution of the Cork Guardians.