§ MR. FIELDTo ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, seeing that, with reference to the Report of the Board of Trade on the subject of rents paid and the general cost of living in certain large towns in Great Britain and Ireland as they affect the working classes, the combined figures of rent and prices of commodities being taken as 100 in London, the figures for Dublin are ninety-four, or only 6 per cent. below London, he will say why the watchers in the 993 Dublin Customs have only 21s. a week, the Dublin park workers only 16s. a week, the A. O. D., Dublin, only 20s. a week, whilst the London Customs watchers get 24s. a week, the London park workers 24s. to 26s. a week, and the A. O D.., Woolwich, 23s. a week; and why the wages of Government workers in the London area are from 15 to 33 per cent. higher than those paid in Dublin.
(Answered by Mr. Runciman.) Having regard to the general level of wages in Dublin I think that the rates 'paid to the several classes of employees referred in the Question are adequate, and I cannot enter into a comparison with the rates paid in London.