§ Mr. DEVLINasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he can state the total amount, allocated by the Department to county schemes for the development of agriculture, the total available funds for such purpose, and the amount by which it has been decided to reduce the grants; and whether any protests against the reduction of the grants have been received?
§ Mr. T. W. RUSSELLThe Department's annual income available for purposes of agriculture is about £107,000. From this source a sum of £55,500 has been provisionally allocated by the Department, with the concurrence of the Agricultural Board, for the purposes of the agricultural schemes to be administered by county committees in the year 1909–10. The amount allocated for this purpose in 1908–9 was £55,400. It is not at present proposed to reduce the amount of the grant hitherto made to any county, but, in view of the strain to which the Department's funds are now being subjected, owing to the rapid expansion of the general work, it has been considered desirable to urge upon county committees the necessity of having extreme regard to economy. No protests in the matter have been received.