Captain O'NEILLasked whether the right hon. Gentleman's attention has been drawn to the case of David Abernethy, of Moboy, Portglenone, county Antrim, whose name has on several recent occasions been before the Ballymena Rural District Council as an applicant for a new cottage under the Labourers Acts; whether his name has now been rejected from the council's No. 7 scheme on the ground that his earnings exceed 2s. 6d. per day; if so, will he cause an inquiry to be made as to the amount of this man's earnings, which there is good reason to believe do not exceed on an average 10s. weekly; and, seeing that Abernethy's present house is so inadequate that he, his wife, and six children are obliged to sleep in one small room, if he will give this case his earnest attention so that Abernethy may be provided with a new cottage at the earliest possible date?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe facts of this case are as stated in the first part of the question. The Local Government Board are at present in communication with the rural district council on the subject of Abernethy's application for a cottage.