§ Mr. HORNERasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will say what local authorities or authorised societies in Ireland have made applications for grants or lonas under the Housing (No. 2) Act, 1914; and for what amounts, respectively?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Local Government Board inform me that the following local authorities and societies have made applications for grants or loans of the amounts specified, namely: Cork Rural District Council, £30,000; Dungarvan Urban District Council, £15,000; Kingstown Urban District Council, £70,000; Naas Urban District Council, £5,000; Tralee Urban District Council, £60,000; Tullamore Urban District Council, £6,000; Water-ford Corporation, £50,000; Londonderry Artisans' Dwellings Company, £35,000, and Thomond Artisans' Dwellings Company, £3,000. The following Urban District Councils have also made representations with a view to benefiting under the Housing (No. 2) Act, 1914, but no definite amounts have been stated by them: Athlone, Ballymena, Belfast Corporation, Blackrock, Carlow, Castle-bar, Cork Corporation, Dublin Corporation, Enniskillen, Killarney, Limerick Corporation, Midleton, New Ross, Newry, Pembroke, Queenstown, Skibbereen, Sligo Corporation, Templemore, Tipperary and Westport. The terms upon which the money will be advanced have not yet been fixed, and the Board have, therefore, not been able to deal with these applications.248W No loans will, however, be made save where distress arising from the War is "existent and insistent." Most of these applications received have been made on the assumption that the £4,000,000 provided under the Act is to be a free grant.
§ Mr. HORNERasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that an application for a loan under the Housing (No. 2) Act, 1914, has been made by an authorised society in Londonderry City and particulars of the building scheme lodged with the Local Government Board for Ireland; and whether, having regard to the object of the Act and the need of starting work upon the houses, he will endeavour to secure the approval of this application without delay?
§ Mr. BIRRELLAn application for a loan under the Act referred to has been received from an authorised society in Londonderry City and has been submitted to the Treasury with a recommendation that it may be favourably considered.