§ MR. SHEEHANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the decisions of Major Breddin, Inspector of the Local Government Board, in regard to the claims of labourers in the Charleville rural district have caused much dissatisfaction amongst the general body of applicants under the Labourers Act; did he reject forty-two applications for additional half-acres, although no opposition was offered by the occupiers in a large number of these cases; and, if so, will he state the reasons assigned for these rejections; were the applications of some labourers thrown out on the same 1227 grounds that they possessed a cow each; how long has this been recognised as a reason for rejection by inspectors of the Local Government Board; were others refused who were awarded prizes for the excellent way in which they cultivated their plots; and will he say whether a right of appeal should be given to labourers in cases such as these.
§ MR. BIRRELLIn this case forty-two applications for additional half-acres were rejected by the Local Government Board inspector, thirty-two because the existing allotments were very badly kept, and ten for various reasons which were communicated to the district council. The fact that the applicant kept a cow was not, and could not be, a ground of rejection in any case. The question whether a right of appeal should be given to labourers in rejected cases was considered when the Labourers Bill of 1906 was before Parliament and was decided in the negative.