§ MR. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland—(1) whether it is the practice of the Local Government Board for Ireland, to require local authorities who have acquired land under Section 57, Sub-section 1, of The Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, specifically for the purpose of Part III. of the Act, to obtain the consent of the Treasury under Section 57, Sub-section 3, to the appropriation of the land for the purpose for which it has been acquired; (2) whether he is aware that the English Local Government Board consider that no consent is necessary in cases of the kind; (3) whether the Irish Board consider that the consent is necessary even where the land has been acquired compulsorily under the statutory powers given for that express purpose; and, (4) how the land in such cases is to be disposed of in case the Treasury refuse their consent?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThis question has been already answered both by the Attorney-General for Ireland and by the Secretary to the 898 Treasury, and I have nothing to add to those answers, except that with reference to the fourth part of the question, no such case has arisen. As the hon. Member has already been informed, communications are being made between the Treasury and the Irish Local Government Board, with a view to establishing uniformity of practice in the two countries.