§ Dr. AMBROSEasked what was the number of persons in receipt of indoor relief in Ireland during the year ending 31st March, 1909, exclusive of children and the sick; what was the number of childern in the workhouses during the same period; what was the number of sick in union hospitals in the same period; what was the number of person on outdoor relief during the same period, the number of able-bodied on indoor and outdoor relief respectively, and the cost for each class; and what was the total cost of poor law expenditure in Ireland during the same period?
§ Mr. CHERRYIt is not possible to state the number of separate individuals who received relief in Ireland during the year. The average daily number of persons in workhouses, exclusive of children in hospitals, was 22,644. The average daily number of children not in hospital in the same period was 5,630, and the average number of sick in hospitals was 14,781. The number in receipt of outdoor relief was 59,036. The average daily number of able-bodied persons on indoor relief was 4,848. Outdoor relief cannot be given to the able- 1361W bodied save to relieve exceptional distress, pursuant to the provisions of section 2 of the Poor Relief (Ireland) Act, 1847, and section 13 of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898. The latter was in force in certain unions for a few months last year, but the Local Government Board have no information as to the number of able-bodied persons relieved by relief works. The cost of relieving each of the above classes and the total poor relief expenditure for the year cannot he stated, as the union accounts for the half-year ended 31st March last have not yet been completed.