§ MR. JOYCEI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state who appoints the Commissioners of Irish Lights, and how the appointment is made and what are the qualifications, if any, that entitle persons appointed to act on this Board; can he explain why the Irish Ports have no representative on the Board; whether the Board is under the control of any Government Department; and whether their accounts are audited by a Government auditor.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe Board of Irish Lights, as established by the Dublin Port Act, 1867, and previous Acts, consists of five representatives of the Corporation of Dublin, and seventeen members who have from time to time been nominated or co-opted by that Board. No qualification is prescribed for a Commissioner, except that he is to be a "fit person." I am not able to say what reasons influenced Parliament in so settling the constitution of the Board. The Board is under the 1291 financial control of the Board of Trade, and their expenses are paid out of the General Lighthouse Fund, which is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.