§ DR. THOMPSON (Monaghan, N.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if he will consent to the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the grievances of the Irish Poor Law medical service, and also into the question of the administration of the Poor Law, the condition of the workhouses, and the treatment and management of the poor in these institutions.
(Answered by Mr. Wyndham.) The Government is about to appoint a Commission to consider the general question of the amalgamation of unions and the 559 amelioration of the condition of all classes of destitute poor in workhouses. The grievance of the Irish Poor Law medical officers, which can only be remedied at the ratepayers' expense, is another matter, and any amendment of the law on this subject would be highly contentious. I should, therefore, be sorry to see it brought within the scope of a Commission through which it is hoped to ensure a more economical administration of the Poor Law.