§ Mr. JOHN O'CONNORasked the Attorney-General for Ireland whether he is aware that the magistrates presiding at petty sessions courts in Ireland decline to give audience to clerks and other authorised persons of district councils, who desire to sue on behalf of such district councils for the recovery of rent due and for possession of labourers' cottages; and whether, seeing that the Labourers (Ireland) Act, 1906, incorporates the provisions of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878, in respect to the administration of the said Labourers (Ireland) Act, and that the Public Health Act empowers sanitary authorities to appear before any court by their clerk, or officer, or member authorised generally to institute and carry on any proceedings which the sanitary authority is authorised to institute or carry on, the executive authority will give directions to the magistrates in Ireland to give audience to any clerk, or officer, or member authorised according to law to appear, and give the same liberty to institute and carry on any proceedings which the district council is authorised to institute and carry on under the said Labourers (Ireland) Acts?
§ Mr. REDMOND BARRYThe rule regarding the matter referred to in the first paragraph of the question is Rule No. 44 of the Labourers (Ireland) Order, 1886, and I refer the hon. Member thereto. I do not understand that the magistrates in Ireland, speaking generally, disregard that rule. On the contrary, I am informed that they follow it as they ought to do. There were cases, I am informed, towards the close of last year in the King's county, in which questions were raised, but I understand the difficulty arose from the circumstances that in the case of the person professing to act for and to represent the local authority, the provisions of Rule 44, to which I have referred, were not complied with. The matter has, I believe, been since set right.