§ MR. JOHN O'CONNOR (Kildare, N.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland what is the amount (if any) chargeable to the county of Kildare in respect of net advances made by the Guarantee Fund after deducting repayments out of current instalments of annuities in the years ended the 12th day of February, 1906 and 1907, respectively; what is the amount certified for chargeable to the same county and drawn from the Guarantee Fund respect of purchasers' half-yearly payments in arrear, and the amount of repayments to Guarantee Fund of such arrears recovered for the year ending the 31st January, 1907, the amount certified for in respect of insufficiency of income chargeable to the same county and drawn from the Guarantee Fund under Section 29 of the Irish Land Act, 1903; will he state the terms of the rule under which a county, not in arrear in its payments, may be made liable for dividends in respect of sales of land, in other counties, and how the grants in aid of local taxation in counties not in arrear are made applicable to the purposes of the Guarantee Fund.
§ (Answered by Mr. Runciman.) The net amount chargeable to county Kildare in respect of arrears of tenant purchasers' annuities was £1,695 18s. 3d. in 1905–6, but in 1906–7 the repayments exceeded the arrears by £928 7s. 9d., viz., arrears drawn from Guarantee Fund £1,780 5s. 4d. and arrears recovered £2,708 13s. 1d. The net amount charged to the same county under section 29 (2) of the Act of 1903 in respect of deficiency of income has been £7,714 12s. 8d. The certificates of the amounts chargeable to the several counties are prepared under Rule 10 (2) of Treasury Rules and Regulations, dated 14th April, 1905, published in House of Commons, Paper No. 151, of 1905.