§ MR. JOHN O'CONNOR (Kildare, N.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that certain vouchers have been withheld from the ratepayers by the 998 Rathmines and Rathgar Urban Council, contrary to the provisions of Article 27 of the Public Bodies Order, 1904; that ratepayers, viz., Messrs. O'Ratigan, Sullivan, and O'Driscoll, have complained to the Local Government Board on this matter with reference to the audit of the 31st March, 1907; and that the Local Government Board has failed to decide on the grievance as to the non-production of vouchers, and has failed to give any redress to the aggrieved ratepayers; and will the correspondence as to the non-production of vouchers at the audit of the Rathmines and Rathgar Urban Council's accounts for the year ended the 31st March, 1907, between the Local Government Board and the above ratepayers, between the said Board and the Rathmines Urban Council, and between the said Board and the auditor, Mr. John L. King, and all reports connected therewith, be laid upon the Table of the House.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) I am informed that all the vouchers which the auditor considered necessary for the purpose of the audit were produced to him. Complaint has been made to the Local Government Board that certain documents in the nature of subsidiary vouchers for the payment of expenses incurred in the promotion of local Bills by the urban council were withheld. These subsidiary vouchers were produced to the Taxing Master of the House of Commons, and the auditor did not demand their reproduction, as he did not consider them necessary for the purpose of the audit. The Local Government Board have no power to compel the production of these documents. As regards the concluding portion of the Question, the correspondence between the Local Government Board and the ratepayers mentioned is, of course, in the possession of these ratepayers, who are at liberty to publish it, and the correspondence between the Board and the urban council can be inspected by any local government elector under Article 19 (4) of the Application of Enactments Order, 1898. It would be contrary to practice to publish any communications which pass between the Board and any of their auditors. In the circumstances the reply to the last part of the Question must be in the negative.