§ Mr. KEATINGasked the Chief Secretary, having regard to the deductions made from the Local Taxation Account in the years 1911, 1912, and 1913, in the county of Kilkenny from the different unions, under the headings of medical and educational expenditure and salaries paid to sanitary officers, if he will state on what grounds the deductions were made from each union, respectively; whether, if the expenditure under these headings did not exceed the amount paid, respectively, by each union prior to the year 1902, the unions not exceeding the amount were entitled to a recoupment of half the cost of Medical Charities Acts expenditure, half the cost of sanitary officers' salaries, and the whole cost of the salaries of work-house teachers; whether the same has been recouped in the case of unions whose expenditure on these headings has not exceeded the amount of the standard year; and if he will state the reason for the deductions from the county council of Kilkenny of the sum of £1,677 2s. 11d. for the past three years?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe deductions and abatements referred to were made, as stated in my reply to the hon. Member's question on 14th instant, on the grounds of the insufficiency of the amount paid under Section 58 of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, to the Local Taxation (Ireland) Account in each of the years mentioned to meet the sums payable there-out in the same periods under the Section as amended by Section 6 (1) of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1902. The replies to the second and third paragraphs are in the affirmative subject to the fact that it is not, as stated by the hon. Member, one-half of the expenditure incurred under the Medical Charities Act which is recouped, but one-half the salaries and 553W cost of medicines specified in Sub-section 2 (a), (i.), (ii.), and (b) of Section 58 of the Act of 1898, and in addition, one-half the remuneration of the substitutes of the officers referred to in Section 5 (1) of the Act of 1902 during their absence on vacation, regard being had to the provisions of Section 58 (5) of the principal Acts.