§ MR. J. P. FARRELLTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, (1) whether he is aware that considerable destitution prevails in many portions of the Bawnboy (county Cavan) Union: whether any steps have been taken to ascertain the extent of the distress, and what efforts made to cope with it; and, can he say whether the Union has been scheduled as one in which exceptional measures for relief of distress might be taken?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE LORD LIEUTENANT (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds CentralRepresentations have been made to the effect mentioned in the first paragraph. On the 18th December last the Local Government Board recommended the Guardians to appoint an additional relieving officer for the poorer districts of the Union in order that all applications for relieving might be at once inquired into, but the Guardians postponed indefinitely the consideration of this recommendation "until more pressing necessity arises." On the 14th January the Local Government Board relaxed the restrictions on the giving of outdoor relief in this Union, but only four such cases had been relieved up to the date of the latest return, and the number of persons receiving outdoor relief in the Union was only eight in excess of the corresponding date of last year. No necessity appears to have yet arisen for affording the Guardians financial assistance in relieving the poor under their charge; and, so far, there has been no unusual strain on the resources of the Union.