§ MR. MEEHAN (Queen's County, Leix)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland what were the original purposes to which the money standing to the credit of the Fines and Penalties Office, Dublin, was to be applied; whether, seeing that under the Local Government Act, 1898, county councils are bound, out of the local rates, to provide, maintain, pay rent for, and furnish with all necessary requisites county and other court houses, for use by the tribunals from whose proceedings these fines and penalties are imposed, if the allocation of this money, now amounting to £170,250, is being considered, the claims of the county councils will be entertained to have the money applied to recoup past expenditure and to relieve the rates in future from the expenditure of maintaining court and session houses; and if he is aware that the charge on the County Council of Queen's County under this head amounts to £414.
MR. BRYCEAccording to the existing statutes, the purposes to which the funds standing to the credit of the Registrar of Petty Sessions Clerks Department are to be applied include the payment of the salaries and pensions of potty sessions clerks and the head-quarters staff, the audit of accounts, and generally the expenses incurred in carrying out the Fines (Ireland) Act, 1851, and the Petty Sessions Clerks (Ireland) Act, 1858. It is not proposed to allocate any portion of these funds for the purpose mentioned in the Question.