§ MR. J. DEVLINTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether any portion of the grant-in-aid for relief works in distressed unions in Ireland will be available for works for the relief of those suffering from the present distress in Belfast; and whether any steps have been taken there for the formation of a relief committee.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The grant was intended for the purpose only of aiding the relief operations under Section 13 of the Local Government Act in districts in which, owing to low valuation, high rates, and the poverty of the ratepayers generally, the resources of the union were insufficient to provide for the prevailing distress. The section quoted has not been in operation in Belfast, and happily no question has arisen in that union as to the financial position of the ratepayers.