MR. C. MACVEIGH (Donegal, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state the cause of the delay by the 1764 Letterkenny Rural District Council in carrying out the provisions of the Labourers Acts throughout their division, where many of the labourers are living in unsanitary hovels; and, seeing the hardships under which these labourers suffer whether he will direct the Local Government Board to send an inspector to inquire into the delay, and take immediate steps to have the necessary cottages erected to provide the comfort for which the Acts were passed.
§ MR. CHERRYThe inquiry into the scheme made by the Council under the new Act for seventy-eight cottages was opened on the 3rd October last, and after inspection of sites and consideration of the evidence given at the Inquiry, the Inspector's Order was signed on 23rd November, provisionally authorising seventy-one cottages. Copies of the Order had then to be served by the clerk of the council on the persons interested, who are allowed a period of five weeks within which to appeal. The Order has been confirmed by the Local Government Board for sixty-eight cottages, the remaining three being the subject of petition to the County Court Judge. As soon as the Board receive the requisite application from the Council they will appoint an arbitrator to determine the price to be paid for the lands affected by the scheme, and the Council, can, if necessary, at once enter on the lands subject to the conditions as to lodgment of security and payment of interest mentioned in Sec. 4 of the Act of 1896.