asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will specify the peerage cases in which the Law Officers have been paid out of public funds fees in addition to salary during the last two completed financial years, the amount paid to each of the Law Officers in each of the cases, how the public were supposed to be concerned in the cases to the extent of paying, and whether the Comptroller and Auditor-General has called special attention to any of these payments?

The fees paid to the Attorney-General were as follows:—

		£	s.	d.
Barony of Fitzwaryn	…	33	6	9
Barony of Furnival	…	333	7	6
Barony of Latymer	…	267	4	6
Baronies, Burgh, and Strabolgi, etc.	…	544	13	9
Earldom of Oxford	…	431	11	0
Baronetcy of Mitchell of Westshore	…	24	2	0

No fees in respect of peerage cases were paid to the Solicitor-General during these periods.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has considered, as indicated in his reply to a question on 9th January, the question of an Excise Duty on sugar in connection with the Budget; and, if so, in what way he proposes to deal with it, or will he allow the present system to continue?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to-day on this subject to my right hon. Friend the Member for West Islington.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give, before the Report stage of the Budget Resolutions, the revenue derived from Ireland in the year 1912–13, the amount of exclusively Irish expenditure for the same period, and the amount of the increase in Irish taxation for the year 1912–13, as compared with the year 1908–9; and whether, if he cannot give the final figures, approximate figures can now be given, as was done last year on 16th April for the then preceding financial year, in the White Paper circulated with the Government of Ireland Bill?

I am afraid I am not in a position to give any figures before the Report stage, as the returns are not yet complete. But I hope to be able to give approximate figures before the Second Reading of the Finance Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state for each year that the Super-tax has been in force, adding the official Budget Estimates when the precise figures are not available, and including the figures of 1913–14, the assessments to Super-tax, particularly arrears, the numbers of persons taxed, and the numbers of persons to whom forms were sent to fill up?

The Super-tax assessment to 31st March, 1913, are as follows:—

In the Year.			For the Year.	Duty Assessed.	Number of Persons Taxed.	Number of Persons to whom Forms were Sent.	Budget Estimate for the year.
				£			£
1909–10	…	…	—	—	—	—	500,000
1910–11	…	…	1909–10	2,448,376	10,202	30,829	2,750,000
1910–11	…	…	1910–11	905,291	4,242	12,914	—
1911–12	…	…	1909–10	151,150	774	648	3,000,000
1911–12	…	…	1910–11	1,598,676	6,308	4,335	—
1911–12	…	…	1911–12	1,142,256	5,250	16,559	—
1912–13	…	…	1909–10	48,446	372	278	3,500,000
1912–13	…	…	1910–11	160,218	862	510	—
1912–13	…	…	1911–12	1,590,668	6,057	1,474	—
1913–14	…	…	1912–13	1,933,529	8,167	16,653	3,250,000

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the valuers of the Land Valuation Department have made a provisional valuation of the church and churchyard of Fulbourn, Cambridge, at £3,800; whether it is intended to value the other 16,000 parish churches and churchyards; and whether it is proposed to claim Undeveloped Land Duty or for what purpose the expense of such valuations is being incurred?

The answer to the first and second parts of the question is in the affirmative. The valuations are being made as directed by Section 26 (1) of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, which contemplates a valuation of all land in the United Kingdom to whatever purpose it may be put. Land Duty is not payable in respect of land used as churchyards.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will agree that the Wrangle, Chells, and Seton Malreward cases shall be treated as agricultural test cases to govern other valuations?

I am not sure that I fully apprehend the suggestion. I am not at the present time in a position to state what appeals to the Courts it may appear advisable to make with regard to the points raised in the agricultural cases to which he refers, and it is, I am sure, not necessary to inform him that any decisions of the High Court must on the points decided govern subsequent practice with regard to valuation unless and until such decisions are reversed on appeal.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many occasions arose within the meaning of Section 2 of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, between 30th April, 1909, and 31st March, 1913; howmany valuations have been served in respect of such occasions; and how many of such valuations have yet to be served?

The answer to the first part of the question is 566,014; valuations have been made in 212,541 cases, and 353,473 cases remain to be dealt with. These figures are for England and Wales only; I regret that those for Scotland are not at present available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what part of the sum of £1,393,000, the cost of the Land Valuation Department to 31st March, 1913, is attributable to each of the following years:—1910–11, 1911–12, and 1912–13; and whether such cost includes the sum of £140,000 borne by other Departments in those three years and the cost of and incidental to the issue of Form IV.?

The cost of the Land Valuation Department in each of the three years was as follows:—

1910–11	…	…	£332,559
1911–12	…	…	£355,290
1912–13	…	…	£506,653

The estimated cost to other Departments cannot be apportioned with any accuracy. The sum of £1,393,000 includes the estimated cost to other branches of the Inland Revenue Department, the £140,000 estimated to have been borne by other Departments of State and the cost of and incidental to the issue of Form IV.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his intention to deal with the question of the Excise Duty on beet sugar produced in this country in the Revenue Bill; and, if not, whether, having regard to the principle involved in exempting an important article of consumption which is subject to such a heavy Customs Duty from Excise, and also to the uncertainty and the treatment now being caused to the refiners of raw sugar in this country, he will take an early opportunity of stating the intentions of the Government?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. My right hon. Friend will have an opportunity of discussing this question on the Second Reading of the Revenue Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of a notice that was sent out from the county education offices at Stafford on 25th November last informing those concerned that, in consequence of delay in the receipt of certain Government Grants, cheques for the November salaries at the education office would be delayed; whether he can state the cause of this delay; and whether, in view of the inconvenience of such delays, he will take steps to prevent any recurrence of such delays?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. The issue of the notice to which the hon. Member refers was reported in the newspapers at the time, and was thus brought to the attention of the Board; but I am informed that the cheques for salaries to which this notice referred were, nevertheless, paid punctually and without any delay. The Grant referred to was a sum of about £22,000, payable to the authority "early in the latter half of the financial year," and depending upon returns of school attendance. These returns were received from the county authority by the Board on the 13th September, and the checking of them had not been quite completed when a letter, dated 21st November, was received from the authority asking that the payment should be expedited if possible. The Board immediately complied with this request, and paid upon the 27th November the sum of £22,025, leaving one item, which was then still in doubt, but was afterwards ascertained to be £40, to be paid later by way of a Supplementary Grant. The county authority wrote to the Board on the 29th November thanking them for so promptly giving the matter their attention, and thus relieving the difficulty which had arisen.

asked the cause of the delay in making the actuarial calculations necessary for the completion of the new scheme of pensions for Irish national teachers?

I beg to refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for North Kilkenny on 3rd February last.

asked the Chief Secretary what progress has been made with the erection of the central school which is to replace the Carrowreagh National school and the school at Finvoy, to which Grants have been made for the year ending 31st July, 1913, on the understanding that during that year steps will be taken for the provision of a central school to replace these two schools; whether, if the new central schools is not ready for the reception of pupils on 31st July, 1913, the Grants to Finvoy school will be continued until the new school is ready; and whether the scheme for the management of the central school makes provision for a committee with a lay treasurer, on which public representatives as well as clerical managers will have seats?

The Commissioners of National Education are at present making inquiries through their senior inspector as to what action has been taken to replace the Carrowrcagh, and the Finvoy National schools by a central school. Pending the receipt of his report the Commissioners are not in a position to make any statement on the subject.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what is the total amount to the present date repaid to the Treasury under the various Labourers Acts in Ireland in the form of sinking fund; and whether there is any and, if so, what objection to utilise such money for fresh advances to meet the pressing demand for more cottages?

The amount of principal repaid to 31st, March, 1913, to the Board of Works in respect of advances made by that Department prior to 1906 under the Labourers Acts is £774,595 and has been paid over to the National Debt Commissioners for the credit of the Local Loans Fund, from which the advances were made. These moneys could only be utilised for the purpose of further advances—if any power of the Board of Works to lend remained in existence—on the same terms as other advances from the Local Loans Fund, i.e., on terms less favourable to borrowers than those granted by the Labourers (Ireland) Acts, 1906 to 1911. The amount of principal repaid to 31st March, 1913, to the Irish Land Commission in respect of advances made by that Department under the Labourers (Ireland) Acts, 1906 to 1911, is £10,456 13s. 3d., and has been paid to the Land Purchase Fund, from which the advances were made. This sum of £10,456 13s. 3d. is available for further advances subject to the total limit of the advances from the Land Purchase Fund fixed by the Labourers Acts not being exceeded.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that Constable Michael Ronaghan, of county Donegal, has been compelled to contribute to the Irish Constabulary Force Fund for thirty years and is compelled to continue contributing to it though he, his wife, and his children are debarred by the rules from ever obtaining any grant from that fund owing to his having married without permission; that he is compelled to pay £2 12s. per annum for barrack rent though denied barrack accommodation for his family, while other married constables, when not accommodated, are not required to pay this; that he is denied the allowance usually made to married constables for rent of lodging outside; that his payments to the fund amount to £29, compound interest on the same £29, deductions for barrack rent, £64 16s., usual lodging allowance withheld from him for twenty-three years, £85 16s., and contributions to cleaning of barracks, £13 16s., all diminishing his nominal remuneration by £222 8s., for which nothing is given to him or his family; that his daughter has died of destitution; that his eldest son is sickly from the same cause; that the rules of the service require him to maintain himself in physical efficiency though not enabling him to give his family the necessaries of life; will he say whether this man has been so treated for marrying without permission; and will he see that Constable Ronaghan is not further punished for this disclosure, which he has no power to prevent?

The pay of all members of the force, whether married or single, who were appointed before June, 1883, is, by Statute, subject to deduction for the Constabulary Force Fund. As Constable Ronaghan married without leave no gratuity can be paid under the rules of the fund to his widow or children, nor can he be exempted from deduction for barrack accommodation under Section 2 of the Constabulary Act, 1883, or draw lodging allowance for his family. All men, married and single, contribute to the cleaning of the barracks. There is no foundation for the statement that the constable's daughter died of destitution. The disability under which the constable labours is a purely legal one, and I will look further into the matter to see whether there is any possible way in which any relief can be obtained.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the rules of the Irish Constabulary Force Fund are such that the children of a deceased contributor, no matter how young and needy, get nothing from the fund if their mother has died before their father; that the widow and children of a constable who has been for some time before his death incapacitated by physical or mental infirmity get nothing from the fund, no matter how long the constable may have contributed to it; and, no other known benefit fund contributed to by employeés being so administered as to produce such results, whether he will now have this fund closed and distributed among the survivors of the contributors whose property it is?

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. The death of a subscriber's wife does not disentitle his children to benefit. Children born before a subscriber's retirement on pension are eligible for benefit up to eighteen years of age. Unmarried daughters, born before the subscriber's retirement, who are left without a mother, are eligible so long as their father continues subscribing. The second paragraph of the question is not quite understood. Physical or mental infirmity in the case of a subscriber does not disqualify the wife and children from receiving benefit if the subscriptions are kept up. Should it happen that a married subscriber becomes mentally and physically unfit, either before or after his discharge on pension, his wife is invited to continue the contributions while drawing the pension so as to preserve benefit for the family. With regard to the last paragraph of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to his previous questions on this subject.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the Listowel Rural District Council, at their meeting on the 28th February, 1913, unanimously passed a resolution asking to have the Constabulary Force Pension Fund wound up; and, if so, what action will be taken in the matter?

I have received a number of resolutions asking to have the fund wound up, and can only refer the hon. Member to the numerous replies given to previous similar questions on this subject.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, having regard to the number of local authorities in Ireland that were compelled to seek advances at high rates of interest in the open market to complete schemes under the Labourers Acts, the necessity for more cottages, and the amount of Irish money invested or to be invested by the National Debt Commissioners, he will state what he proposes to do to preserve the continuity on identical lines of the policy of successive Governments in erecting State-aided cottages for agricultural labourers; and if he will also state what sum he proposes to allocate to the erection of suitable houses?

As I have already stated, I am very anxious to obtain as much money as I can for this purpose.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the evidence of those witnesses before the Committee on Irish Finance, which he is preparing for pub- lication, will be published in full and without omissions of any sort?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will give the dates upon which agreements were signed between landlord and tenants with respect to the estate of Francis Boxwell, esquire, Butlerstown Castle, South Wexford; is he aware that the sales of other estates in the same neighbourhood have long since been completed, although the agreements were signed but a short time previous; and whether he can state, approximately, when vesting orders will be issued to the tenants on this estate?

The purchase agreements signed by the tenants in this estate were lodged with the Estates Commissioners in February, 1908. The property will be dealt with in order of priority on the principal register of direct sales (all cash), but having regard to the claims of other estates the Commissioners are not at present in a position to say when it will be reached. The Commissioners are not aware of the other estates alluded to by the hon. Member, but possibly they may be estates in which the vendor elected to accept payment either wholly or partly in stock instead of waiting for payment in cash.

asked whether the estate of R. C. Lynch, Ashbrook, county Galway, has yet been offered for sale to the Estates Commissioners or to the Congested Districts Board?

The estate referred to has been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he will issue instructions to the Estates Commissioners to pay Mr. John Beirne, of Ballinasloe, for the Tonlagee farm purchased from him several years ago, particularly as there has been no delay caused by tenancies or boundaries; and whether he is aware that other estates in the neighbourhood that have since been purchased have been paid for?

The purchase money of this estate cannot be advanced until the requirements of the Estates Commissioners as to title have been complied with.

asked the Chief Secretary what action has the Congested Districts Board taken to purchase the congested holdings at Lacca, Liselton, where the poor tenants hold direct under Trinity College?

The Congested Districts Board have issued an offer for the purchase of this estate, consideration of which has been postponed by the board of Trinity College owing to the illness of the Provost.

asked the Chief secretary by what authority Sergeant Gallagher, on the night of 15th April, called on Mr. Martin Finnerty, secretary of the East Galway executive, Gurteen, Ballinasloe, county Galway, and questioned him as to where he had spent the previous night, and finally demanded of him to sign a statement as to his movements during the previous twenty-four hours; whether he can state any reason why respectable people should be subject to such treatment; was there any crime or outrage committed in the county during the time that Mr. Finnerty had been questioned about; will he state upon whose authority the sergeant acted; and, if he had no authority for doing so, will this sergeant be removed to the North-East part of Ulster?

When a serious crime has been committed, it becomes the duty of the police to question all parties whose statements might possibly throw light on the occurrence. The police when engaged in the investigation of crime have got to question parties who are quite innocent of wrongdoing, and it is not practicable or desirable that they should indicate to each the exact nature of the information sought or the reason for seeking it.

asked whether the Grant of £40,000 per annum promised for Irish intermediate education has been included in the Estimates for the current year?

No, Sir. The difficulties which have arisen in connection with this matter are nearly settled, but the scheme is not sufficiently mature to justify the provision of the money in the Estimates for the current financial year. The Grants would not in the ordinary course be payable until the end of the school year fol- lowing the date on which the scheme comes into operation.

asked the Chief Secretary who are chiefly responsible for the opposition to, and consequent delay in getting, the Grant of £40,000 per annum promised last year for Irish intermediate education, and the reasons advanced by them as justifying their opposition?

It is not accurate to say there has been any opposition to the Grant. The preparation of a scheme for its distribution was necessarily a matter involving discussion and consequent delay, but I am happy to be able to say that the difficulties are, I think, nearly at an end.

asked the Chief Secretary if he has received any information to indicate the cause of the recrudescence of cattle driving on the Donore estate, in South Westmeath; whether that case is an isolated one; whether the lands in question are heavily mortgaged; whether the representatives of the owners first gave their consent to a sale of the middleman's interest and subsequently, after a sale by auction had taken place, revoked it; whether the landlord then resumed possession of the property by an exercise of the almost obsolete right of pre-emption, dispossessing the purchasers, who were a syndicate of small farmers in the neighbourhood; and can he state if it was the treatment referred to which has caused the state of things now existing there?

This cattle drive will, I hope, prove to be an isolated one, but, as fourteen men are awaiting trial in connection with the case, it is obviously undesirable to discuss the motive of their action.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that Edmund Buckley, Ballyhorgan, Lixnaw, has applied for an old age pension; whether he is aware that his elder brother, Dan Buckley, was horn 11th January, 1840, and his younger brother, Thomas Buckley, 13th June, 1843; and whether, seeing that the applicant was born between the ages of his two brothers, and also seeing that there are two years, 1841 and 1842, missing from the parish register, which accounts for the absence of his birth certificate, the Local Government Board will grant the pension, as local evidence can be given as to his being over seventy years?

The ages of Edmund Buckley's two brothers appear to be as stated in the question, and the Local Government Board are having inquiries made with a view to ascertaining the claimant's relative position in his family.

asked the Chief Secretary whether Deborah Holly, Ballyconry, Liselton, has applied for an old age pension; whether he is aware that there is no record of her birth in the parish register or Census Office; whether the local committee have passed her claim; whether applicant has sworn an affidavit before Mr. Flavin, J.P., Listowel, that she is over seventy years; and whether he can state what are the grounds on which the Local Government Board have refused the applicant's pension?

The facts are as stated in the question. Deborah Holly's claim was disallowed for want of satisfactory evidence that she was seventy years of age.

asked the Chief Secretary what reply, if any, has been sent by the Land Commission to the solicitor or secretary of the Kerry County Council in reply to their letter of 24th October, 1911, asking the Land Commission to consent to the making of the Carneragh or Kilmeany new road, in North Kerry?

After some intermediate correspondence the Land Commissioners addressed a query to the secretary of the Kerry County Council on the 18th June, 1912, with regard to the case to which letter a reply does not appear to have been received.

asked the Chief Secretary if the Kerry County Council, through Mr. Downing, solicitor, and Mr. P. M. Quinlan, secretary, have communicated with the Land Commission, on 20th October, 1910, for their consent to make the Leitrim new road in North Kerry; and, if so, what reply has the Land Commission sent to the Kerry County Council?

The Land Commission approved of the proposed transaction so far back as the 18th June, 1912.

asked the Chief Secretary what reply has the Land Commission sent to the solicitor or secretary to the Kerry County Council, in reply to their letter of 19th January, 1913, for their consent to make a new road at Cloonmackon, North Kerry?

Application was received from the Kerry County Council for liberty to make a new road at Cloonmackon, county Kerry, through several holdings which have been purchased under the Land Purchase Acts, the lands being still liable to the repayment of the advances made, and the Land Commissioners gave their consent to this transaction so far back as 18th June, 1912. The letter from the county council, dated 19th January, 1913, does not appear to have been received in the Land Commission.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals called his attention in February last to a case of gross cruelty to a dog at Baltinglass, county Wicklow, tried by the magistrates there and dismissed, although the evidence given by the police and others was clear and uncontradicted; and whether he has taken, or intends to take, any steps in regard to the magistrates who adjudicated?

I received no communication from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in regard to this case. It appears from the information laid before the Lord Chancellor that the alleged cruelty consisted in burying a dog alive, that the magistrates fully considered the case, and dismissed it on the ground that they considered that the defendant honestly believed that the dog was dead at the time he buried it. The Lord Chancellor does not consider it necessary to take any further steps in connection with the matter.