§ 63. Mr. J. P. FARRELLasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that from 1909 to the present time, out of a sum of £7,411 17s. 2d. due to county Longford in respect of capitation Grants for inmates in Mullingar district asylum, only £4,921 18s. 4d. has been paid, leaving a deficit of £2,489 18s. 10d. for three years, which involves an extra rate of 4d. in the £ on the county; whether, seeing that a capitation Grant of 4s. per head is statutorily due to asylums in Ireland, he will say what power exists to change that legal obligation; and will he ask the Treasury to make good this deficit to the county Longford?
§ Mr. GULLANDThe hon. Member appears to be under a misapprehension. Prior to the year 1910-11 no abatement was made from sums payable to the county of Longford in respect of the maintenance of insane poor in Mullingar Asylum. The total amount due to the county for that service for the financial years 1910–11, 1911–12 and 1912–13 was £6,919 lls. 4d., of which £6,065 11s. 6d. has been paid. As I have already informed the hon. Member, the abatement was made under the provisions of Section 58 (5) of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, the income of the local taxation account being insufficient to meet the sums payable thereout. The answer to the final paragraph of the question is in the negative.