§ SIR WALTER NUGENT (Westmeath, N.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can state why, at the recent Local Government inquiry held under the Labourers Act at Mullingar, five bona fide applicants for labourerś cottages on nonresidential grazing land were rejected, the said land being situated in the town-land of Rathunre and electoral division of Clonfad, and this nothwithstanding the fact that there is considerable tillage in the neighbourhood for which additional labourers are required.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Local Government Board assume that the five cases alluded to in the Question are those in which applications were made for cottages on the property of Mr. C. B. Marlay in the townland of Rathnure. The inspector considered that the necessity for the proposed cottages was not established. The applicants were young single men, who were living with their parents, and for whom house accommodation did not appear to be particularly required.