§ MR. JOYCEI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether any information has been submitted to him showing that the borrowing powers of the Limerick County Borough Council have not been substantially exhausted; and will he inquire whether there is a margin of more than £40,000 still remaining before those powers would be exhausted.
§ MR. BIRRELLI informed the hon. Member on 5th instant that the borrowing powers of the Limerick Council had been substantially exhausted. I have since made inquiries, and learn that there is an unexhausted margin of some £40,000 in the borrowing powers of the city. But in the case of the loan for a technical school, which was the subject of the hon. Member's Question, the only security which could be accepted consisted of rates amounting to 2d. in the £ which had hitherto been deemed insufficient for the purpose. As I have already stated I am taking what steps I can to secure that the difficulty may be overcome.