§ MR. J. PINKERTON (Galway)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, will he explain the grounds on which, acting on his own behalf and as representing the Lord Lieutenant, he declined to receive a most influential deputation (appointed at a county meeting held in Coleraine) who desired to submit to him plans for dealing with the congested state of Derry Asylum, which would satisfactorily meet the requirements of the case and at the same time entail a much lighter burden on the ratepayers; and whether, if he still refuses to grant an interview to the deputation, he will admit of the ratepayers being represented before the Privy Council by a lawyer, in order that their position may be clearly understood, before any further action is taken by the Government?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI am afraid I cannot at the present moment add anything to the reply given by me on Thursday last to the inquiries of my hon. Friend the Member for South Londonderry, namely that I doubted whether a deputation would be the best way of dealing with this question, that the whole matter was now engaging the further consideration of the Irish Government, and that a communication would be made to the gentlemen who desire to form a deputation before any further steps are taken towards passing an Order in Council.