§ MR. JASPER TULLY (Leitrim, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland—(1) whethe Local Government Board have received a complaint from a labourer named William McDonnell, of Lisnaboe, Newtownforbes, that the Longford Board of Guardians have refused to erect a labourer's cottage for him in Caldra electoral division of that union; (2) whether the allegation of the guardian of that division was that he would be no party to the erection of slated houses for labourers so long as tenant farmers resided in thatched houses; and (3) whether the Local Government Board will order an inquiry, and have the provisions of the Labourers Acts enforced in this case?
THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. JOHN MORLEY, New-castle-upon-Tyne)The reply to the first paragraph is, Yes. The Board of Guardians having been communicated with, replied that the guardian for the division mentioned had stated that the house occupied by McDonnell was a substantial one, in good repair, and that, therefore, another house could not be built for him. The Local Government Board have not received any application for an inquiry in this case, as required by Section 4 of the Act of 1891, and in any event I do not think it would be desirable to hold such an inquiry in the present case, as the expense of putting the Acts into force for only one house would be entirely disproportionate to the result. I may add that the Local Government Board have already authorised the execution of 103 cottages in this union.