IRELAND DEVELOPMENT GRANT BILL. (Hansard, 29 July 1903)

§ MR. WILLIAM REDMOND (Clare, E.)
reminded the Chief Secretary that on a former occasion when the subject of the Development Grant was under consideration Irish Members expressed their dissatisfaction with the Bill as it stood and their anxiety that an opportunity should be afforded for discussing from time to time the allocation of this money. As the Bill stood the representatives of Ireland would have no effective voice in the matter. He hoped the Chief Secretary, who on the occasion referred to said he was desirous of meeting the wishes of hon. Members in this respect, would now be able to state in what manner he proposed to give the opportunity desired. Whatever method was adopted, however, 818 care should be taken to render it impossible for the sum to which Ireland was entitled to be in any year diminished.

MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)
said he understood that his right hon. friend the Chief Secretary for Ireland intended to put this sum on the Estimates in the future, and take it off the Consolidated Fund. He hoped the right hon. Gentleman would give the House that assurance, and in that case he would not move his Amendment.

§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. WYNDHAM, Dover)
said that during the discussion upon a former stage of this Bill there appeared to be a very general assent to the suggestion that Ireland should get now forthwith and for ever what was considered to he due to her in respect of the money allocated in England for education. The right hon. Gentleman the Member for West Monmouth himself assented to that proposition, viz., that Ireland should get £185,000. The changes which he intended to propose in Committee would not alter that, and the unexpended balances due to Ireland would remain untouched and unimpaired, and the purposes for which the money taken under the Bill was allocated would appear year by year on the Estimates. In that way Parliament would secure the control of the various items and would be afforded an opportunity of criticising them.

§ MR. DOOGAN (Tyrone, E.)
suggested that the right hon. Gentleman should put the word "Primary" before the word "Education." He thought that the balance left of what had been ear-marked for the Land Bill ought to be devoted to primary education, and he trusted the right hon. Gentleman would give the House that assurance.

§ MR. T. W. RUSSELL (Tyrone, S.)
asked if the money allocated would be spent before it was placed on the Votes.

§ MR. WYNDHAM
said that it would be put on the Votes before it was allocated and spent. He would not be able to spend any money in future in this respect without bringing in a supplementary estimate.

§ MR. CHARLES CRAIG (Antrim, S.)
asked if the right hon. Gentleman would give some assurance that a portion of this money would be spent upon the draining of the Bann.

§ COLONEL NOLAN (Galway, N.)
said there were a good many other places in Ireland which required to be drained as well as the Bann. He happened to know something about the Bann, and he should say it was the last place in Ireland that ought to be drained.

§ MR. CALDWELL (Lanarkshire, Mid)
said he understood that the sum granted to Ireland would be equivalent to the sum granted to England for education. He wished to point out that the sum granted to England was an increasing amount, while the sum granted to Ireland was fixed. He wished to know if the equivalent granted to Ireland would increase in proportion to the sum granted to this country.

§ MR. WYNDHAM
said the point put by the hon. Member for Mid-Lanark was discussed when the Resolution was considered. In proposing the grant which had been fixed he thought he had made the best bargain he could for Ireland. The changes which were to he introduced into this Bill were going to be inserted in order that a section of opinion in this House should have an opportunity of expressing their view upon the rival merits of certain schemes. He hoped hon. Members would excuse him from going further into those details at the present moment.