§ MR. JOSEPH DEVLIN (Kilkenny, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the-Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to a resolution passed at a meeting of the Urlingford Board of Guardians condemning the action of the Local Government Board in refusing to allow a meeting to be; held in the board room of that union; whether he is aware that the room was unanimously granted by the guardians; and, if so, will he state why the permission granted was cancelled by order of the Local Government Board and the decision of the guardians overruled; is he aware that the promoters of the meeting only received a few hours notice that the permission granted was withdrawn, thus preventing them from securing another hall; and whether meetings, having no connection with Poor Law administration, have been previously held in the board room of this union.
§ MR. ATKINSON (for Mr. WYNDHAM)On the 31st March the guardians granted permission to the hon. Member to address a meeting in the board room of the workhouse. The Local Government Board were not made aware of the fact until the 6th April, and on the following day the Board informed the guardians that it had been decided in a Court of Law that the workhouse could not be used for any purpose unconnected with the administration of the Poor Laws. Previous to this decision the workhouse board room had been so used.
§ MR. JOSEPH DEVLINHave not Sir Horace Plunkett's committees held meetings in this room without objection being raised.
§ MR. ATKINSONI must ask for notice of that Question.