DR. KENNYI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to that portion of the proceedings of the North Dublin Union Board of Guardians, at their weekly meeting on the 25th instant, which dealt with a communication to the Board from the Collector General of Rates, Dublin, in which the latter stated that he had deducted £1,000 from the poor rate collected by him, which he stated he was empowered to do under Order of the Privy Council; whether there is any legal authority for this Order; and, if so, under what Act of Parliament; whether the charges of 1142 the Collector General of Rates amount to 7½ per cent. of the rates collected; whether the seventh section of the Collection of Rates (Dublin) Act limits the remuneration of the Collector General of Rates to 2½ per cent. of amount collected; and whether the Corporation of Dublin have their rates collected for 1¾ per cent.?
MR. J. MORLEYThe communication referred to in the first paragraph was the usual one, transferring £1,000 on account of the Collector General's salary and pension from all rates proportionately to the Office Account in the Bank of Ireland, and not from poor rate only as stated. No reference was made to any Privy Council Order. This has been the course pursued since 1858 under the opinion of the Law Officers of the Crown. The charge for management of the Collector General's Office for 1893 was 3¾ per cent. on the rates collected. In addition to this, there are the charges for Collector General's salary, law costs, and pension, which, under the opinion of the Law Officers of the Crown, are not chargeable to the 2½ per cent. fund; with these included the cost would be 6¼ per cent. It must be borne in mind that the fund available now from which to deduct the expenses of the officers has been reduced by two-thirds in consequence of the subdivision of the collection of rates; consequently, the percentage must be higher. The 27th section of the Collection of Rates Act limits the expense of management to 2½ per cent., but the 73rd section of the Dublin Corporation Act, 1890, gives the Lord Lieutenant power to increase such percentage. I have no information on the point referred to in the concluding paragraph.
DR. KENNYWill the right hon. Gentleman inquire into this matter, inasmuch as the citizens of Dublin are being mulcted to the extent of 5 per cent. over and above what the Corporation collect the rates for?