HC Deb 30 April 1907 vol 173 cc679-80
SIR THOMAS ESMONDE

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if deductions have been made from the death duty grant payable to the Wexford County Council from the initiation of the Local Government (Ireland) Act to the present; and if so, how much, and in what year or years; whether, in the event of the Irish Land Commission recovering the amount deducted, or any part of it, the amount so recovered will be credited to the county; and if he will arrange that in future a statement shall be furnished to each county council in Ireland giving the total amount of this grant and the amount allocated to each county, showing also the manner in which the calculation has been arrived at, in time for the consideration by each county council before the striking of its rate, and similarly corresponding particulars in respect of the new Labourers Act Grant.

(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The following statement shows the sums deducted from the death duty grant payable to the county council of Wexford, in each year from 1900 to 1907:—

Year ended 31st March. In respect of Payments made for Guardians. In respect of Payment to the Council as a Road Authority.
1 2 3
£ s. d. £ s. d.
1900 373 17 1 338 9 11
1901 491 17 0 446 1 3
1902 504 4 5 456 15 6
1903 77 11 3 70 4 5
1904 298 19 11 270 11 4
1905 271 5 11 245 8 5
1906 Included in 1907 —
1907 1,404 11 1 1,271 15 1

The sums entered in column 3 were those deducted from the share of the county council as a road authority. Those in column 2 were made from the shares payable for the guardians, these payments being made on their behalf through the county council. As I have already stated, the Treasury are considering the question of devising means whereby county councils shall in future be supplied with information as to the allocation of the grant before they strike their rates. If, as is presumed, the "new Labourers' Act Grant" means the new method of distribution of the Exchequer grant, there will be no difficulty in informing county councils, before they strike their rates, of the approximate share of each rural district in their counties in the grant, as apportioned in accordance with Section 18 of the Act of last session.