§ MR. PATRICK WHITETo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether clerks of petty sessions in Ireland have to pay substitutes to do their work in case of illness or during vacation; and, if so, will he take steps to alter this practice, more especially having regard to the fact that their department yields a surplus annually.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The reply to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative, and to the second in the negative. The ordinary receipts of the department from fines and fees are insufficient to meet its expenses, and the deficit is made good by an annual transfer from the receipts for dog licences, which otherwise go to local authorities.