§ MR. R. MCGHEE (Louth, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the grievances of the persons liable to pay lay-tithe-rent charge in the parishes of Ardee and Richards-town, in the county of Louth; whether the tithe-rent charge is open for revision every seven years upon the production of the last certificate of composition; if he is aware that the last certificate in respect of the parish of Ardee bears no date, and therefore affords no opportunity for having the present tithe-rent charge revised; whether he is aware that the requirement that the notices of intention to apply for septennial revision must be posted on the door of the parish church and of every house of worship in the parish cannot be complied with in the parish of Richardstown owing to the absence of any such house of worship in the parish; and if he will have the matter considered with the view of extending to these lay-tithe-rent charge payers facilities for enforcing the rights to which they are entitled by law?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURRepresentations have been made to me by tithe-rent charge payers in this district in the sense of the statements contained in the first four paragraphs of the Question. The matters complained of could only be dealt with by legislation, and I could not give any undertaking to deal with them during the present Session.