§ MR. J. G. SWIFT MACNEILLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that through failure of the potato crop the inhabitants of large areas of Donegal are in acute distress, and that a famine is imminent; whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that during the last 10 weeks representations of the scarcity of food with which the people of these districts were threatened, and from which they are now actually suffering, have been made by the Most Rev. Dr. O'Donnell, Lord Bishop of Raphoe, in a letter which appeared in the Freeman's Journal of the 9th January, by resolutions passed at public meetings in the towns of Donegal, Carrick, Kilrea, Dunglass, Muer, Tamur, by resolutions of Boards of Guardians, and by letters of the Member for South Donegal written after 304 a personal inspection of the condition of the people; whether he has been urged by people of all creeds and classes acquainted with the locality, that if the lives of the people are to be saved useful works for the relief of distress must be immediately commenced; and what steps, having regard to the critical condition of the people, the Government propose to take?
§ MR. T. W. RUSSELL (Tyrone, S.)Before the right hon. Gentleman answers, will he say whether the Inspectors of the Local Government Board in Ireland have made any Report, first as to the area involved in the failure of the potato crop, arid secondly as to the extent of the failure within those areas; and, will he lay their Reports on the Table so that we may know the extent of the distress?
MR. J. MORLEYI said yesterday that there would be an opportunity before many days of going into this question, and on that occasion I will lay before the House all the information we have. In answer to the question on the Paper, I have to say that the condition of the small holders of land in Donegal has received my anxious consideration, and I have had before me from time to time a number of Reports concerning the county, all of which indicate that, owing to the partial failure of the potato crop distress may be apprehended among some of the small landholders in parts of the county during the spring. Representations as to the scarcity of food and the need of useful works for the relief of the distress have been made both in the Press and to Government, and arrangements are being made to open relief works next month in the Unions of Glenties and Milford.
§ MR. T. SEXTON (Kerry, N.)asked if the right hon. Gentleman would present a précis of the evidence which had been given.
MR. J. MORLEYreplied that he would consider the suggestion, but he did not think it would be desirable to lay the whole of the reports before the House.
§ MR. MACNEILLasked if the Chief Secretary could give an assurance that the relief works would be commenced soon?
MR. J. MORLEYsaid they would be opened as soon as possible to prevent distress, but on what date he could not say.
§ MR. C. J. DARLING (Deptford)asked, on what fund the charges for the relief works would fall?