§ MR. MAURICE HEALYI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will grant a Return showing the population, local government electorate, and poor law valuation of each county, county district (rural and urban), and electoral division or ward in each such district in Ireland, and of the number of county and district councillors for each such county, county district, electoral division, or ward.
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURThere is no. objection, in principle, to a Return such as indicated, but it would take consider- 879 able time and labour to prepare, and could not in any case be ready before October. Under all the circumstances I think it would be better to postpone the preparation of the Return until after the approaching census, as the population and valuation of the altered areas can then be stated with a degree of accuracy which could not be shown if the Return were prepared now.
§ MR. MAURICE HEALYWould not that involve postponement for another year?
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURIf the hon. Gentleman will communicate with the Local Government Board, I think it would serve his purpose much better.