§ MR. O'SHAUGHNESSYTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can say, when application for a labourer's cottage has been made, under the Labourers (Ireland) Act, by a labourer and rejected by the district councillors of the district at the first meeting of the council to consider applications, without giving the labourer an opportunity of being heard, what is the proper course to adopt that the labourer's application may be considered.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The representation made by a labourer to the rural district council contains the grounds on which his application is made. In the event of its rejection by the rural district council, the labourer may ascertain, either from the clerk or the councillor representing his division, for what reason his application was rejected. If the rejection should be due to some technical informality or to the labourer's omission to state the full grounds for making the application, it would be open to him to make a fresh representation to the rural district council with a view to their reconsidering his case.