§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the Chief Secretary if he will state the several rural district councils in county Cork who have formulated improvement schemes under the Labourers (Ireland) Acts since the additional million was voted by Parliament, and who have asked for local inquiries into these schemes; will he give the number of cottages represented for by each council in 1437W each scheme; is it a fact that the additional money was voted to enable district councils who were prepared to cater for the needs of the labourers in regard to houses and allotments to promptly discharge this duty; can he explain therefore, why the Local Government Board are refusing to hold inquiries into the schemes promoted by the county Cork district councils; and will he, as President of the Board, use his influence to have schemes inquired into in their due order of priority, and thus secure an equitable and equal administration of the Labourers Acts.
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe following table gives the information asked for in the first two paragraphs of the question:—
The additional million was mainly intended to meet the requirements of districts which, for various reasons, had not taken anything like full advantage of the Labourers Acts, or only put them into operation to a very limited extent, having regard to the needs of the labourers for improved house accommodation. The action of the Local Government Board in deferring inquiries into new schemes from districts in which comparatively large numbers of cottages have already been authorised has been adopted with the view of securing, as far as possible, an equitable allocation of the money available for the erection of additional labourers' cottages.
COUNTY CORK.—Schemes awaiting Local Inquiry. Rural District. Date of Receipt. Number of cottages proposed. Number of cottages authorised up to 31st March, 1912. Bandon 30 Oct., 1911 114 437 Clonakilty 25 July, 1911 49 385 Cork 7 Dec, 1911 643 1,538 Cork 3 Oct., 1912 10 Fermoy 19 June.1911 256 659 Kanturk 11 Nov.,1911 305 641 Kinsale 21 Mar.,1911 169 386 Mallow 11 Oct., 1912 249 550 Youghal No. 1 6 Feb.,1912 53 235 Total 1,848 4,831