§ CAPTAIN CRAIG (Down, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that three labourers have recently been evicted from their cottages at the instance of the Mullingar Rural District Council on the sole grounds that they continued to work for two owners of property who have incurred unpopularity in the neighbourhood; and whether the Local Government Board sanctioned these evictions.
§ MR. BIRRELLI refer to the Answer which was given to the Question on this subject put by the hon. Member for Mid. Armagh on 17th June last. The Local Government Board did not sanction the evictions. Their sanction is not necessary, nor have they any power to interfere with the action of the district council in the matter.
§ CAPTAIN CRAIGWill the Local Government Board take some steps to 90 prevent labourers being evicted from these cottages simply because they work for an unpopular person?
§ MR. BIRRELLThey hold the cottages weekly. It would be most improper to serve notice to quit for any such motive as that attributed in the Question, but it is extremely difficult for the Local Government Board to form itself into a Court of Inquisition to deal with these matters.