§ Mr. JOHN O'CONNORasked whether the securities to the credit of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction in Ireland, representing capital and unexpended balances, on the 31st March, 1910, amounted to £276,446, plus £35,000 to credit in the Bank of Ireland, making a total of £311,416; at what subsequent dates, respectively, during the financial year 1910–11 were the various endowments under the Agriculture and Technical Acts, and other Acts, and under the Ireland Development Grant, due and payable to the Department; if there is at all times a sum well over £200,000 to the credit of the Department; and, under the circumstances, would it be a proper application of a small part of the above fund to carry out the drainage scheme of the Barrow recommended by the Viceregal Commission on Arterial Draiange (Ireland), which reported in 1907?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe cash value of the securities referred to was £246,759 on the 31st March, 1910. Adding the £35,000 1951 then on deposit in the Bank of Ireland, the total cash value was £281,759, the whole of which sum is hypothecated. The liabilities on this sum are set forth on pages 8 to 10 of the last Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture. The several items of income under the Agriculture and Technical Instruction Act and other Acts and from the Ireland Development Grant are received at various dates, mostly towards the end of the financial year. The funds of the Department are applied under Statute for the purposes of agriculture, technical instruction, and fisheries, and could not be properly diverted to a scheme of arterial drainage.
§ Mr. JOHN O'CONNORDoes not Section 16 of the Act creating the Board say that any surplus remaining shall be applied to agriculture and other rural industries; and is not the drainage of the country an agricultural purpose?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI do not think it was in the contemplation of Parliament when it appropriated these by no means excessive sums for the promotion of agriculture and rural industries that any large portion of the money should be diverted to such expensive schemes as arterial drainage. I think at any rate other schemes have predominant claims.
§ Mr. KILBRIDEWhat are the Board of Works going to do seeing they have received authority from the Treasury to proceed with the drainage?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI am afraid I must ask for notice as that Department is not under control.
§ Mr. JOHN O'CONNORIs there not a sum of £200,000 or thereabouts already to the credit of this Department?
§ Mr. BIRRELLYes, but the income is hypothecated by Statute to certain purposes.