§ MR. M'GOVERN (Cavan, W.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland can he state the amount received by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue on account of the local taxation licences specified in the third schedule of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, for the years ending 31st March, 1900, 1901, and 1902 respectively; how much was paid in each year to the respective County Councils in Ireland in addition to the £79,000 provided for under the fifty-eighth section of the Act : is there any balance in the Consolidated Fund to the credit of this account; and, if so, will he state how much, and in what way the Government intend to dispose of it.
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe net receipts, as shown by the Local Taxation (Ireland) Account, in respect of the three years mentioned, inclusive of the annual sum of £79,000, were £284,836 2s. 2d.; £324,116 4s. 5d.; and £288,271 5s. 11d. respectively. The payments to County Councils, County Boroughs, and Urban District Councils in each of the same years amounted to £251,528 13s.; £270,041 8s.; and £282,573, 16s. 2d. The unexpended balance amounted to £94,072 8s. 10d. at the end of March last. Of this, £47,094 is in a deposit account, bearing interest, and the remainder is at present in the current account. The disposal of this balance is governed by Sub-section 5, Section 58, of the Act. I should add that the receipts for the year 1900–1901 included a sum of £37,029 16s. 6d. voted by Supplementary Estimate to recoup to the account expenditure on pauper lunatics in respect of the quarter ended 31st March, 1898.