§ MR. KILBRIDE (Galway, N.)On behalf of the honourable Member for East Galway, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the condition of the voters' lists in the electoral division of the county of Galway: whether he is aware that in the Barnavilla, Kilconnel, district the Poor Law guardian of the division and the honorary secretary of the dispensary committee have been deprived of their votes, both resident in the dis- 156 trict and having their rates paid, that the names of minors have been put on the list, whilst the names of men who have been on for many years, and are still entitled, have been expunged; whether these changes were made after the lists passed through the hands of the clerk of the union; whether in the county of Galway the number of voters on the register do not equal or exceed the number of inhabited houses in the county; whether he is aware that the utmost dissatisfaction prevails in the district owing to the present state of the register; and whether the Local Government Board will investigate the matter and ascertain who is responsible?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe Local Government Board have been in communication with the Clerk of the Peace for the County Galway and with the Clerk of the Ballinasloe Union relative to the condition of the voters' lists in the county, to which the Board's attention has been drawn by the honourable Member's Question. The Clerk of the Peace states he is not aware that any names were expunged from the lists save those to which objections were made in the usual manner at Revision Sessions, and that no changes were made in the lists, when revised, except to place the names in alphabetical order. The Clerk of the Union states he is informed that the names of some persons are omitted from the lists who should be included, but that these names were not omitted by him. Neither of these officials is aware that the names of minors have been placed on the lists. The statement in the fourth paragraph appears to be correct. The Local Government Board exercise no power or jurisdiction in respect to the preparation of the lists of voters, and they possess no means of further investigating the several matters referred to in the Question.