§ MR. SHEEI beg to ask the Attorney General for Ireland whether the provisions of the Acts 59 Geo. III., cap. 12, section 12; 1 and 2 Wm. IV., cap. 42, and 5 and 6 Wm. IV., cap. 69, and also of the Acts 43 Eliz., cap. 2, section 1, and 4 and 5 Wm. IV., cap. 76, empowering Boards of Guardians to take or hire land for the purpose of setting the poor to work for wages, and to employ certain persons for wages, respectively, apply to Ireland; if not, whether there are any corresponding enactments which give such Boards of Guardians these powers; and whether, if Irish Hoards of Guardians have no such powers, steps will be taken, in view of the Report referred to and of the admittedly extremely prevalent distress in Ireland from want of employment, to confer them?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. J. ATKINSON, Londonderry, N.)None of the Statutes mentioned apply to Ireland, nor are any powers similar to those conferred by them given by the Irish Poor Law Acts to buy or hire land for the purpose of setting to work thereon any persons who are not inmates of a workhouse. It is not intended to introduce any legislation with this specific object.