§ MR. J. DEVLINTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that in a number of Irish unions the boards of guardians have voted some of their officers many grants for performing extra duties in the way of preparing Returns for the Royal Commission on Poor Laws; whether the Local Government Board for Ireland have withheld sanction to the payment of the sums voted, notwithstanding the fact that in a number of cases the Returns so prepared are completed; and whether he will see his way to have the Local Government Board's sanction given in the cases in which the Returns have been found to be complete.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Returns in question are in course of examination by the Local Government Board, and as soon as this work has been completed the Board will consider the proposals of the guardians. The examination has been somewhat retarded by reason of the imperfect manner in which many of the Returns were prepared. The various proposals of the guardians are being formulated in order that the Board may arrange a scale of payments, under which the different classes of officers concerned will be equitably remunerated.