§ MR. J. J. CLANCY (Dublin Co., N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether any, and, if any, what part of the grants for 1896–7, under the Estimate for rates on Government property, will be paid to local authorities in Ireland; whether, if any part of the increase goes to Ireland, it is consequent to any extent on a revision of old valuations, such as is declared, in the Memorandum prefixed to the General Abstract of the Estimates fur 1896–7, to have extensively taken place in London; and whether, if no revaluation of Government property in Ireland has taken place in recent years, such as has occurred in England and especially London, the Government will take steps to rectify the injustice thereby done to Ireland?
§ MR. HANBURYIt is estimated that £5,000 will be paid to the local authorities of Ireland out of the increased grants for 1896–7 for rates on Government property, and that of this £5,000, something between £3,000 and £4,000 will be the increased contributions directly consequent on the revision of the old valuations referred to in the Memorandum prefixed to the General Abstract of the Estimates for 1896–7, the remainder being for new properties and for increased contributions consequent on a rise in the poundage rate of local rates. It is true that the amounts shown 1472 for Ireland in the Rates Estimates for 1895–6 and 1896–7 are the same, but the 1895–6 Estimate included about £5,000 for arrears left over from 1894–5. I may add for the hon. Member's information that the Valuations of all the Government Property in Ireland will be again revised next year.