§ Mr. GINNELLasked if the right hon. Gentleman will say by what authority and for what reason the Local Government Board for Ireland propose to disregard the 2374 sanitary reasons for the Labourers (Ireland) Acts and to allocate the money now available at low interest on entirely different grounds not contemplated in any of those Acts; and whether, having regard to the express purposes of those Acts and the desirability of preventing consumption, he will have the recent circular of the Board recalled, and the money allocated in proportion to the need for it on sanitary grounds?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe great bulk of the cottages already authorised to be provided in the several rural districts were sanctioned on sanitary grounds, that is, for the purpose of replacing condemned dwellings; and (as in promoting each of the schemes now being submitted, the councils have the like object in view), the hon. Member need have no fears that the money will not be applied mainly for the erection of labourers' cottages in lieu of insanitary dwellings. There is nothing whatever in the circular to warrant the hon. Member's assumption that the Local Government Board "propose to disregard the sanitary reasons for the Labourers (Ireland) Acts" in the allocation of the additional million provided by the Act of 1911.