MR. FIELDI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the ratebooks of the Collector General for Dublin City now contained a column headed "Occupiers (not liable to rates)," that did not appear therein until some few years ago, and which is an additional column to that authorised by the Franchise Act of 1884; and under what Act, or supposed Act or authority, this column was added; whether Section 63 of "The Collection of Rates (Dublin) Act, 1849," is totally repealed; and, if not, whether the conditions of rating in that section mentioned are in operation in any part of the United Kingdom except Dublin; whether the law which provides that every landlord in England shall notify to the assessors of taxes, within 14 days after letting any lands or premises, the names of each incoming occupier, or some similar provision, can be made applicable to Ireland, so that the names of occupiers may become known to the assessors of taxes at the earliest opportunity; and whether the provisions of the principal Jury Act for England, which permits of omitted names from the Jurors' Lists being added at the annual revision upon any person making complaint, will be made applicable to Ireland?
MR. J. MORLEYThe column referred to was added to the rate-book after the passing of the Representation of the People Act, 1884, in pursuance of the opinions of eminent counsel obtained by the then Collector General. The section mentioned in paragraph 2 was repealed by Section 19 of the Represen- 1144 tation of the People (Ireland) Act, 1868, so far as regards poor rate in respect of lands, tenements, and hereditaments of an annual value exceeding £4. The hon. Member will see that the conditions of rating mentioned in Section 63 of the Act of 1849 are not now in operation in Dublin. They are not in operation in any part of Ireland. The matter referred to in the 3rd paragraph is worthy of consideration, and au amendment of the law in the direction suggested would tend to facilitate the collection of rates in Ireland. With reference to paragraph 4, the Juries Act (Ireland), 1871, provides for the annual revision of the Jurors' Lists and for the insertion of omitted names by the Parliamentary Revision Courts. I am not aware that any amendment of these provisions is required.