§ MR. MICHAEL AUSTIN (Limerick, W.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) if his attention has been directed to the Report from the Portrane Visiting Committee, presented to the Governors of the Richmond District Lunatic Asylum, in which the Committee express their regret at the small progress made towards the completion of Block No. 3, and urge that all possible pressure should be put on the contractors to complete the work as soon as possible and also, regarding the permanent buildings, their disappointment that better progress had not been made; (2) whether he is aware that the contractors referred to are the same against whom allegations were made before the Select Committee on Government Contracts (whose Report has been presented recently) in not complying with the Fair Wages Resolution of this House; (3) 522 whether he is aware that the failure of the progress of the buildings is due to the fact that sufficiently skilled labour cannot be secured at the rate of wages offered; and (4) seeing the urgency of the Report presented to the Governors, what steps will be taken to complete the contract, having due regard to the Resolution of this House of February 1891?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe hon. Member has been good enough to send me a newspaper report which is to the effect mentioned in the first paragraph. As the Question only appeared on the Paper this morning, I have not yet been able to complete my inquiries as to the statements in the second, third, and fourth paragraphs, to which the attention of the Board of Control has been called.