§ MR. WILLIAM ABRAHAMI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the recent action against the trustees of the Mitchelstown Loan Fund in the Rolls Court, Dublin, and to the observations of the Master of the Rolls respecting the action of the Government Inspector, who annually investigated the accounts of the fund, in failing to report the state of affairs to the trustees; and if he intends to take any steps whereby the debenture holders may be indemnified for losses sustained, seeing that there was a Government audit of the accounts of the society.
§ MR. WYNDHAMYes, Sir, my attention has been directed to the judgment of the Master of the Rolls in this case, from which, I am informed by the 519 Loan Fund Board, an appeal is about to be lodged by the plaintiffs. In reply to the second part of the Question, I must point out that neither the officers of the Board nor those of the local societies working in connection with it, are civil servants of the Crown, and that Government exercises no control over the proceedings of the Board or of the local bodies. The Government accepts no responsibility in the matter and cannot indemnify debenture holders against losses sustained by them under circumstances such as are referred to.
§ MR. DILLONHas the attention of the right hon. Gentleman been directed to the fact that for the fortieth time the Board have appealed to the Government to legislate in accordance with the Report of the Committee of 1855? Do they propose to do that?
§ MR. WYNDHAMI have nothing to do with that.