§ MR. W. REDMOND (Clare, E.)On behalf of the hon. Member for the Harbour Division of Dublin, I beg to ask the 405 Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Local Government Board have been called upon to hold an inquiry into the circumstances attending the election for the Monivea division of the Tuam Union at the late Poor Law election; whether Mr. P. C. Kelly, the defeated candidate, has brought under their notice cases of voting papers being filled and signed in the names of persons at present in America; and whether the Local Government Board will grant an inquiry into these allegations?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. J. MORLEY, Newcastle-upon-Tyne)The Local Government Board received from Mr. Kelly a list of objections in relation to the election referred to, and obtained from the Returning Officer a statement of his reasons for the decisions arrived at by him in each of the cases referred to him by Mr. Kelly. One of the votes objected to by the defeated candidate was that of a person alleged to be in America, but as there was a majority of six in favour of Mr. Mannion, even if this vote had been disallowed it would not have affected the result of the election. The information at present before the Local Government Board does not, in their opinion, constitute sufficient ground for holding an inquiry on oath with regard to this election.