§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether several of the tenants of labourers' cottages in the Fermoy Rural District have made frequent complaints that their dwellings are unhealthy and dangerous to live in owing to the smoke nuisance and other defects; is there any inspection of labourers' cottages at present by independent engineering inspectors of the Local Government Board before they are finally completed; and has any such inspection taken place in Fermoy; and, if so, with what result?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Local Government Board have not received any complaints of the nature referred to from tenants of labourers' cottages in the Fermoy Rural District. The answer to the second paragraph of the question is in the affirmative, but such inspections are solely made for the Board's guidance in authorising the advance of instalments of loans, and do not relieve local authorities and their architects of their responsibility for seeing that cottages are properly constructed in accordance with the plans and specifications. An inspection was made in September last of the cottages erected, or being erected, under the last scheme of the Fermoy Rural District Council. The inspector reported that the work was generally being carried out in a very satisfactory manner, but drew attention to the fact that the kitchen flues in several of the cottages apparently failed to draw properly. The Board requested the council to give their attention to this matter. Another inspection will be made before a further instalment of the loan is advanced.