§ MR. CHARLES DEVLIN (Galway)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if it is always an instruction of the Local Government Board to unions and other bodies under their supervision that the lowest_ tender must be accepted, even when the union finds that the quality of the article offered by the lowest tenderer is inferior.
§ MR. WYNDHAMNo sir; there is no such instruction or rule. Where rural district councils or proposals committeees do not accept the lowest tender they are obliged to adopt the procedure 420 laid down in Section 18 of the Local Government Act, 1902. Where boards of guardians do not accept the lowest tender they must be prepared to satisfy the auditor that they acted in the best interests of the ratepayers.