§ MR. HAYDENI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that much inconvenience is caused to officials and the public in Ireland through the difficulty of finding a quorum to attend the meetings of county infirmary committees, and that a large number of meetings that had been summoned have fallen through owing to the failure of a quorum to attend; and whether, in view of these facts, he will, either by change of rule or by legislation, if this be necessary, secure a reduction in the number of members making a quorum at meetings of those committees.
MR. BRYCEThe Local Government Board have no information to the effect mentioned in the first part of the Question. The quorum of Infirmary Committees is fixed at five, which in no case is more than a third of the members, while the average number of the com- 514 mittees is about twenty-two. A change in the number of the quorum could only be effected by legislation, and the Board have not evidence to show that a necessity has arisen for altering the present number, which cannot be regarded as excessive. The objections to having a very small quorum are obvious.