§ MR. KETTLETo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland when, and in what manner, the land and buildings known as Loughry Manor, situated near Cookstown, county Tyrone, were acquired by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction; and what use, if any, has been made of them since they were acquired.
§ (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Department of Agriculture received possession of Loughry Manor in the summer of last year, having acquired it by purchase in the superior courts. The property was acquired for the purpose of establishing a school of rural domestic economy for girls in the North of Ireland. The work of adapting the house to the required purpose is now about to be carried out. It was not possible to undertake this work at an earlier date, but it is hoped that the school will be ready to receive pupils next winter.