§ MR. DAVITT (Mayo, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Behind whether the Local Government Board has ordered the cost of a proposed water scheme for Claremorris to be borne by the entire rural district of which the town is a part; whether he is aware that the people resident in the town are willing to bear the expense of providing themselves with water; whether, seeing that the rural ratepayers, some of whom reside ten miles away, will derive no benefit front the 779 scheme, the Board has taken any steps to consult the representatives of the ratepayers before deciding to make the water scheme a union instead of a town charge; and whether a protest from the Rural District Council against this action of the Local Government Board in this matter has been received by him.
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURThe statements in this question are generally correct. The chargeability of rural sanitary expenses over the entire rural district, or in some cases over the dispensary district, has been carried out in pursuance of a general principle which it was deemed necessary to adopt in consequence of the rating provisions of the Local Government Act of last session, and which has been assented to by the majority of the boards of guardians in Ireland. As I have already explained, I am unwilling to depart from that principle unless a vary clear case for doing so can be made out. I am, however, prepared to look further into any cases of alleged serious hardship.