§ MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can now state the general scheme prepared by the Board of Agriculture for the purpose of preventing distress in the West of Ireland, 849 due to the failure of the potato crop, mentioned by Mr. Bryce in his reply to a Question on December 5th last.†
§ MR. BIRRELLI understand that the scheme in Question is to be fully explained by officers of the Department of Agriculture who are at present giving evidence before the Royal Commission on Congestion. I would ask the hon. Gentleman to await the appearance of that evidence.
§ MR. DILLONI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can now state what arrangements have been made by the Irish Government for the supply of potato seed in those districts in the West of Ireland where the potato crop has failed and where the people, through poverty, are unable to procure good seed.
§ MR. BIRRELLMeasures are now being taken by the Local Government Board to secure that a sufficiency of good seed shall be available in those districts—happily, it is believed, few in number—in which owing to the partial failure of the potato crop there is a deficiency in that respect.