§ Mr. FARRELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, in the case of aliens interned in England who leave wives and families unprovided for, the Government makes weekly grants to these people for their support, and, if so, what is the rate per head; and whether a different law is to be applied in Ireland where these people are told to apply to the local Poor Law guardians, thus imposing a burden on Irish ratepayers and securing their penalisation for a Government action for which they have no responsibility?
§ Mr. SHORTTAllowances are made from funds provided by the British Government to the British-born wives and children of interned or repatriated aliens who are without sufficient resources. It was considered that the most effective manner of affording assistance to such persons was to make grants through the agency of a board of guardians not as Poor Law relief administered in the ordinary course of their duties, but as grants made under the authority of the Government and charged to the funds placed at the disposal of the Local Government Board. The rate of assistance is determined according to the peculiar circumstances of each case. The allowances payable in ordinary cases are 10s. weekly for the wife and 3s. weekly for each dependent child. It does not appear that the arrangements in Ireland differ materially from those in England.