Mr. T. WILSONasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether steps are being taken by His Majesty's Treasury and the Irish Local Government Board to ensure that the provisions of Section 44 (3) of the Representation of the People Act will be strictly observed by registration officers in Ireland so that no portion of the sums allowed to registration officers for their expenses of having the work done may be retained by a registration officer for his own personal use; and, if steps have not been taken, will he. give directions that the amount to be allowed to registration officers as salary for the duties performed by them personally and the amount to be allowed for expenses be calculated separately, and that the amount allowed for expenses be restricted to the actual outlay as vouched by production of receipts?
§ Mr. DUKEThe scales of registration expenses under Section 15 of the Representation of the People Act have been fixed by the Treasury and published in the "London Gazette" of the 19th April. These scales provide for the out-of-pocket expenditure, but not for the remuneration, of the registration officers, except in the cases of the Parliamentary boroughs of Dublin and Belfast, where the town clerks are the registration officers. In all other places the Clerks of the Crown and Peace are the registration officers, and under Section 44 (8) of the Act they will be entitled to such increases of salary in respect of their additional duties as may be prescribed by the Lord Lieutenant in Council, with1008W the concurrence of the Treasury. An Order in Council under Section 27 (2) of the County Officers and Courts (Ireland) Act, 1877, dealing with this remuneration, is being prepared