§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that in the case of Patrick O'Brien, applicant for an additional allotment at Duagh, in the Listowel union, county Kerry, the facts have been wrongly represented to the local government, seeing that this man could not have given any undertaking to the present occupier, Casey, not to apply for the extra half acre, as there was no mention whatever of such a thing when the improvement scheme of sixteen years ago was being considered; is he aware that Casey was not in occupation of his present farm at that time, it being then owned by his mother; that a tailor or any other man working for hire in a rural district is entitled to a cottage under the Labourers Act provided his income does not exceed 2s. 6d. per day; that O'Brien proved that he came within this qualification, and that his family work as agricultural labourers, and will he take steps to provide that O'Brien should obtain an additional allotment under the Act?
§ Mr. BIRRELLAs I have already stated, in my answer to the question on the same subject asked by the hon. Member on 21st March last, the inspector disallowed the additional allotment in this case on the ground that O'Brien was not an agricultural labourer. The undertaking referred to in the question was only mentioned incidentally in my previous answer. I understand that the evidence was that it was given to Casey's mother. By Section 93 of the Irish Land Act (1903) the expression "agricultural labourers" in the Labourers Acts is extended so as to include certain classes of persons working for hire in the rural districts other than ordinary labourers. But O'Brien, who is stated to be a tailor by trade, does not apparently work for hire, and the evidence at the inquiry was that he was unable to work. The Local Government Board cannot intervene as suggested.