§ MR. TULLY (Leitrim, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that portions of the drainage charge in the districts of Rinn and Black River, in the Counties of Leitrim and Longford, have been lately assessed by the Commissioners of Public Works on Alexander O'Connor, Drumharkan, Patrick O'Donnell, Mary Foley, senior, and Mary Foley, junior; whether he is aware that this charge had been previously paid by the Church Temporalities Commissioners; and whether he will cause inquiry to be made as to the liability of the Church Temporalities Commissioners, as proprietors in the terms of the charging order, to pay off the whole of this drainage charge before disposing of the glebe lands to the tenant purchasers?
§ SIR J. T. HIBBERTI am informed that the Rinn and Black River Drainage District Award was made on the 26th April, 1859, and the charge on the lauds referred to (Drumbarkana Glebe) was redeemed in 1872 by the Church Temporalities Commissioners. The Drainage Trustees, who are bound to maintain the works that had been executed, having neglected to do so, they got into serious disrepair. They were restored by the Board of Works under "The Drainage Maintenance Act, 1866," at a cost of £2,713 3s. 7d., which is repayable by the present proprietors in 24 half-yearly instalments under the Board's Charging Order of 28th April, 1894. The parties named are now proprietors, having purchased their holdings under the Church Temporalities Commission, and are liable to be assessed for the maintenance of works.