§ MR. DELANY (Queen's County, Ossory)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in view of the fact that a number of Catholic clerks in the Veterinary Branch of the Agricultural Department, with salaries at the rate of £90 a year after ten years service, received, in 287 reply to an application for improvement in their position, a communication stating that if these applications were pressed the Treasury might insist on their being replaced by abstractors at £55 a year, a large number of whom were at present available, he can state whether he has taken, or proposes to take, any action a in the matter.
§ MR. WYNDHAMIn November, 1900, an application was received from some of the clerks in the Veterinary Branch for an improvement of their salaries. The religions of these officials are unknown to the Department. The application was recommended to the Treasury, who allowed the clerks to be placed on the permanent establishment, with pensionable rights and other substantial advantages in their position. There is no official record of the communication mentioned in the Question. If any intimation to this effect was made by one of the responsible officers of the Department it was made in the interests of the applicants, who have expressed their thanks to him for his advice and their gratitude for the personal interest shown by him in their case.