§ MR. O'SHEETo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether any promise or undertaking has been given to the promoters of the Cork Junction Railways Bill or to anyone on their behalf by any member of His Majesty's Government as to the whole or any part of the sum of £93,000 which the Treasury in 1898 gave authority to the Hybrid Committee on the Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbours Bill to allocate for some project beneficial to the South of Ireland, and which was allocated for the purpose of having the proposed Cork and Fermoy Direct Railway constructed subject to certain conditions which have not been fulfilled; whether he is aware that the only alternative proposal before the Hybrid Com- 1310 mittee for the allocation of the £93,000 was that made by the letter of 25th April, 1898, from the chairman of the Great Southern and Western Railway Company to the then Chief Secretary for Ireland, by which the company offered to wipe out the total guarantee of £14,000 annually payable by the ratepayers of the county and city of Waterford if the Treasury would forego the £93,000; and whether he will recommend the Treasury to make no allocation of this amount without due consideration for this alternative.
(Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) I must refer to my reply to the Question put to me on Tuesday last† by the hon. and learned Member for Waterford. The matter has now assumed a new phase by reason of the action of the Committee in rejecting the Bill, and will have to be considered afresh.