§ MR. O'SHEE (Waterford, W.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Return standing on to-day's Paper, relative to Boards of Guardians (Persons in receipt of Relief), similar to the Return recently ordered for England and Wales, will be granted.
(Answered by Mr. Wyndham.) On Tuesday last pointed out to the hon. Member that the preparation of a Return such as suggested would entail an immense amount of labour on the part of local authorities, and that I hesitate to impose this labour, the more particularly at the present moment, when the Poor Law Commission propose to compile statistics in the matter which will be duly published.
The Return referred to is as follows—Boards of Guardians (Persons in Receipt of Relief) Return showing, in respect of each union and urban or rural district in Ireland, the number of persons of each sex in receipt from Boards of Guardians (a) of indoor relief or (b) of out-door relief on the first day of October, 1903, who were over sixty years of age, distinguishing those who were over sixty and under sixty-five, 1278 sixty-five and under seventy, seventy and under seventy-five, seventy-five and under eighty, and eighty years of age and upwards; lunatics in asylums, licensed houses, and registered hospitals; vagrants and persons who were only in receipt of relief constructively by reason of relief being given to wives or children, not being included; and. showing in regard to (a) the number of those who in the opinion of the medical, officer of the workhouse could not satisfactorily take care of themselves owing to mental or physical infirmity.