§ MR. CAREW (Dublin, College Green)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has seen the statement of the Secretary of the Kildare County Council that a sum of –753 had been struck off the amount to which the Council were entitled under the Agricultural Grant, notwithstanding the fact that exceptional circumstances existed which should have increased rather than diminished the county's share of the grant; whether he is aware that the Local Government Board has failed in response to the application of the Secretary of the Council to afford any information as to the basis on which they calculated the amount of the grant; and whether he will order the required information to be given.
§ *MR. G. W. BALFOURThe amount of the reduction made by the certificate of the Local Government Board was –289, not –753 as stated in the question. All exceptional circumstances were considered in this case. The information asked for by the County Council was not given, but I propose to lay on the Table of the House a general memorandum explaining the methods adopted by the Local Government Board in calculating the amount of the grant.