COLONEL NOLANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that regulations have lately been issued by the Local Government Board ordering county councils to forward to the Local Government Board copies of the county council minutes, and that such copies have hitherto been forwarded by the Galway County Council as a matter of courtesy, but that this courtesy did not imply a right on the part of the Local Government Board to review the proceedings of the county council unless where specifically empowered by statute to do so; and, if so, can this Order be withdrawn and matters be allowed to stand on their hitherto satisfactory footing.
§ MR. WYNDHAMTo enable the Local Government Board to fulfil its statutory obligations it is essential that county councils should furnish it with copies of their minutes of proceedings which deal with certain specified matters. Since the passing of the Act of 1898, the councils have sent complete copies of all their proceedings, rather than impose on their officers the trouble of making extracts from the minutes under the specified heads. The Board"s recent Order merely continued this system. It is open to the Galway County Council to communicate separately with the Board on matters in respect of which it is necessary the Board should have information, if the council prefers that course. The council has already been. so informed.