§ MR. LUNDON (Limerick, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, as representing the Department of Agriculture, whether reports and statements of accounts showing the profit or loss in connection with their experimental farms in county Cork and elsewhere were published by the Department; and, if not, whether he will furnish hon. Members of this House with copies of such accounts.
MR. BRYCEThe Department of Agriculture do not keep accounts showing, the profit and loss in connection with their experimental farms. These farms are not conducted upon ordinary commercial lines. They were established for the education and training in educational work of the pupils who attend for instruction.
§ MR. LUNDONAs this Department is supported out of Irish funds they ought to keep proper accounts.
§ MR. LUNDONI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, as representing the Department of Agriculture, whether the Department, before commencing to subsidise the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society, received any statements of how this society proposed to expend the money; and, in view of the fact that the Department has continued to subsidise this society for a considerable time, whether he will state if Reports or Statements have been furnished to the Department of how the money granted was spent; and whether copies of all such Reports will be laid upon the Table of the House.
MR. BRYCEI beg to refer to the full replies which I gave to Questions on this subject put by the hon. Member for East Mayo on May 21st† and 29th.‡ No
† See(4)debates,civii.,902.‡ See(4)debates,civii.,257.1355 subsidies were granted by the Department to the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society prior to February, 1905. Payments made to the society before that date were recoupments in respect of work already done for the Department. The grant of £2,000 for the year ending February 28th, 1906 was decided upon an respect of certain specific work of organisation to be done for the Department, the particulars of which were embodied in a scheme; and, as already stated, this sum was paid in monthly instalments, upon the certificate of the Department's representative that the work in question had been done. A similar course has been taken in respect of the grant of £3,700 for the current year. The Answer to the concluding part of the Question is in the negative.