§ MR. HUGH LAW (Donegal, W.)To ask the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he has received any complaints relative to the distribution of seed potatoes, etc., in the Glenties union of county Donegal; whether he is aware that the Glenties District Council has requested the county council to discontinue the raising of a rate in that district in connection with the schemes of the Department, on the ground that the Glenties district, which is one of the poorest and most congested districts in Ireland, receives no benefit from the expenditure of this money; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.
(Answered by Mr. T. W. Russell.) The Department have received complaints relative to the distribution of seeds and manures for demonstration purposes in the Glenties union, county Donegal. They are not aware, however, that the Glenties District Council have requested the county council to discontinue the raising of a rate in that district in connection with the schemes of the Department, and they consider it unlikely that this is the case, seeing that no part of the rates is applied to the scheme in question. The rate is applied to the schemes administered by the County Committee of Agriculture, while the cost from the public funds of the administration of the demonstration plot scheme referred to is borne by the Department's endowment. This scheme is supplementary to those administered by the County Committee. The Department do not propose to take any action relative to the future administration of these special and supplementary schemes, pending consideration of the question as to whether they are to be put into operation during the year 1908.