§ MR. A. O'CONNOR (Donegal, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the state of things in the city of Deny, where, with a population of over 34,000 and a Parliamentary list of over 4,000 electors, the number on the municipal register is under 900, and where, although the Nationalists and Catholics form the majority of the population, there is not a single Nationalist or Catholic in the corporation or among the officials; and whether he will consider the possibility of introducing a Bill to extend the municipal franchise?
MR. J. MORLEYThe facts, I am informed, are substantially as stated in the first paragraph of the question, though I believe one of the two City Assessors is a Roman Catholic. These officials, however, draw no salary. The assimilation of the municipal and Parliamentary franchise in Ireland is, in my opinion, a much-needed reform, but I do not see any prospect of an opportunity arising in the present Session for legislating with a view to remedy the grievances that now exist in this regard.