§ 27 Mr. NEWMANasked the Chief Secretary (l) whether he is aware that the division of Members of the Irish House of Commons between urban and rural constituencies has given rise to considerable criticism in Ireland; that many of the smaller towns desire direct representation in the Irish House of Commons; that resolutions have been passed asking for an amendment of the Bill in the direction of increased representation for urban centres; and whether the Government propose to amend the Government of Ireland Bill to meet these wishes; (2) whether his attention has been called to a resolution passed by the executive committee of the Joint Tenants' League, of which the hon. Member for the St. Patrick's Division of Dublin, is chairman, expressing the opinion, as representing the urban population of Ireland, that the schedule of constituencies contained in the Government of Ireland Bill should be amended so as to give adequate and direct representation to the towns people; and whether it is proposed so to amend the Bill as to meet the opinions expressed by the executive committee of the Joint Tenants' League; and (3) whether he is aware that at the nineteenth annual Irish Trades Congress at Clonmell, on 28th May, 1912, a resolution was passed protesting against the arrangements contained in the Government of Ireland Bill whereby the constituencies are so arranged that the industrial workers in the towns are practically left without representation, and demanding that, in all cases where borough members were returned before the redistribution of seats, such borough representation should be restored; and 16 whether the Government propose to take-any steps to meet the wishes of the Irish Trades Congress?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI have seen the resolutions of the Irish Trades Congress and the Town Tenants' League and others to the same effect. Under the scheme in the Bill, the boroughs will have a representation in the Irish House of Commons slightly in excess of what they are entitled to on a basis of population, which no one of the smaller towns referred to in the resolution of the Irish Trades Congress has anything like the population which would give it a claim to be represented by a single member. It will be open to the Irish Parliament to deal with the matter after three years from the passing of the Act.