§ MR. MOONEY (Newry)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, what is now the total amount at the credit of the Board of Agriculture and Technical Instruction, Ireland, caused by the non-expenditure of the yearly Parliamentary grant since the creation of the Department: for what purpose is this fund being formed, and by what authority this money is being diverted from the purposes for which it has been voted by Parliament; and why is no statement of the amount of this fund shown in the annual Report of the Board.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.). It is assumed that this Question relates to the sum of £18,000 per annum voted by Parliament as a grant-in-aid under Section 15 of the Agriculture and Technical Instruction (Ireland) Act of 1899. This sum, which forms part of the general endowment fund of the Department arising from various sources, is applied in accordance with the provisions of Section 16 of the Act, and has not been diverted to other purposes than those specified in that section. A statement relative to the unexpended balances of the income 901 of the endowment fund is given on page 9 of the Department's Fifth Annual Report recently published.