MR. PATRICK O'BKIEN (Kilkenny)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he and the Local Government Board for Ireland have received resolutions from Rural District Councils in Ireland calling for the re-transference of the preparation of the Parliamentary voters' and jurors' lists to clerks of unions in Ireland and the repeal of Section 83 (7) of the Local Government (Ireland) Act; and whether he has been supplied with a list of cases in which the Poor Law Association of Ireland allege there has been neglect on the part of the county secretaries where such work is performed by them; and whether he will insert a clause in the Local Government (Ireland) Bill to repeal the sub-section.
§ MR. WYNDHAMIn answer to the first part of the Question, I would refer to my reply to the Question put to me 936 on the 20th March by the hon. Member for South Down.† I received the list mentioned in the second part of the Question. It did not, however, indicate any specific cases of alleged neglect. I have no doubt that in the earlier stages of the working of the Act some mistakes were made; but the county secretaries have now more experience, and the Board considers that the work is satisfactorily performed by them. It is not proposed to repeal Section 83 (7).