I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the manner in which the Irish Provident Assurance' Company, Limited, has been worked; is he aware that this company has collected in Ireland, and mainly from poor people, over £350,000 at a cost of £330,000, and that its funds are invested in the names of its directors, who are also salaried officials, who are at liberty to convert such funds to any use they please, and that those men are at present endeavouring to convert short-term endowment policies which are on the eve of maturity into house-purchase policies under a term of thirty 3 ears in order to evade their liabilities; and whether an inquiry will be held into those matters in order to protect the people who have invested their money in this company.

The attention of the Board of Trade has been called from time to time to the affairs of the Irish Provident Assurance Company, Limited, but I am not aware of the circumstances referred to by the hon. Member. As stated in the Answer given on 23rd April last to the hon. Member for West Kerry, the only power of inquiry vested in the Board of Trade is that, under Sections 56 and 57 of the Companies Act, 1862, of appointing an inspector upon the application of members holding not less than one-fifth part of the share capital of the company for the time being issued.