§ SIR FREDERICK W. HEYGATEasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether Her Majesty's Government 1560 consider that no change of the present General Valuation of Ireland should take place until after the expiration of the twenty years for which the Irish Land Act was passed, and freedom of contract in certain cases prohibited?
MR. GLADSTONEI am rather at a loss, Sir, to understand what is the precise meaning of the Question, or whether it expresses the precise view of the hon. Baronet the Member for Londonderry County, but I will answer it as well as I can. Most certainly, I do not consider that no change of the present General Valuation of Ireland should take place, that is to say, that the present General Valuation should remain in force for all purposes till after the expiration of the twenty years for which the Act passed. On the contrary, we gave the opinion by the Bill we introduced this year, that some change should take place; but it is one question whether some change should take place for general purposes, and another whether it should take place immediately, or after an interval, for the purposes of the compensations under the Land Act. Perhaps the most interesting part of my answer will be that which has reference to the Valuation Bill now in this House. We were most desirous to proceed with that Bill, but there was a desire very generally expressed by hon. Members that it should be referred to a Select Committee. We undertook, therefore, to consider whether we could propose to refer it to a Select Committee during the present Session with the prospect of a satisfactory and sufficient investigation. We are bound to say we cannot, and under these circumstances, in conformity with the intimation given on a former evening, we do not intend to proceed with the Bill.