§ MR. VINCENT KENNEDYTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Inland Revenue and Customs duty on intoxicating liquors and licences in Ireland for the year 1905 yielded the sum of £5,878,392, and that of this amount only £110,788 was allocated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to Ireland under The Local Taxation Act, 1890; will he say how much of the latter sum mentioned was applied to educational purposes; and whether he can see his way to securing a large portion of this refund for inebriate reformatories, and a further grant in the next financial year to provide for the reformation of habitual drunkards in the country.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell) The share of Ireland in the Customs and Excise duties for 1905–6 amounted to £126,133 15s. 3d.; namely, Customs, £15,345 19s. 7d., and Inland Revenue, £110,787 15s. 8d. The sum of £78,000 was paid to the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction, and the balance, £48,133, to the Board of Intermediate Education. Ireland's share of these duties and the application thereof are governed by statute, and no change in either respect could be made without legislation.