§ MR. HAYDENI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, (1) what is the gross amount of the grants of public money made by grand juries in Ireland to the Shannon Development Company; what were the conditions under which these grants were made; how far have these conditions been fulfilled by the company; (2) whether the grand juries have any power to enforce alleged agreements with railway companies; (3) whether he can say who were accountable for the alleged mismanagement of last summer's tourist traffic on the Shannon, for the promotion of which the grants referred to were made; and (4) will the Government sea that these moneys are made use of only for the purpose of developing the passenger and other traffic on the Shannon?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe gross amount of the grants made by grand juries to the Shannon Development Company is £11,900, made up of two annual contributions of £100 each for seven years, and six annual grants of £250 each for the same period. The conditions under which these grants were made are set out in the several presentments. The Board of Works have certified that the conditions as regards the agreement with them have been fulfilled, but it rests with the county authorities to say if the obligations imposed by the presentments have been carried out. On this latter point I have no information, nor have I any knowledge of the alleged agreements referred to in the fourth paragraph. As regards the fifth paragraph, there may have been unavoidable irregularities incidental to the opening up of the new service, but none sufficient to justify the withholding of the certificates by the Board of Works. The formal agreement between the Development Company and the Board contains provisions for the application of any moneys received from the counties to the purposes of the service during the period named in the agreement.