§ MR. D. KILBRIDEOn behalf of the hon. Member for South Galway, MR. D. SHEEHY, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the number of electors in North Galway exceeds by 325 the number of inhabited houses in the constituency according to the last census, while there are only 15 freeholders and leaseholders and rent-chargers on the register; whether he will inquire as to the causes of the extraordinary increase of the electors from the poor law and county officials responsible for the production of the lists; whether any other Irish constituency exhibits a corresponding increase in its electorate; and, whether, seeing that the addition of nearly 3,000 names from 1891 to 1895 adds to the amount of the candidate's security to the sheriff at a Parliamentary election from £400 to £700, strict inquiry will be made as to what officials are responsible for this addition to the electoral strength of the constituency in a county in which the population has been steadily decreasing in recent years?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURIt is necessary to make inquiries from the Clerks of several Poor Law Unions in the constituency referred to, and I do not think I shall be in a position to reply to the hon. Member's question until Monday next.