§ MR. ION HAMILTONasked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland, If, at a recent sitting of the Sub-Commissioners at Kinsale, Mr. MacDevitt (the legal Sub-Commissioner) said—
That, in the absence of the third Commissioner, Mr. T. Walpole, who would be away for a few days on urgent private business, a special delegation had been issued to himself and his brother Murphy to hear applications;and, if there is any power under the Land Act to enable the Commissioners to issue a special delegation to an incomplete court to hear and adjudicate upon 276 applications for the settlement of judicial rents?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON), in reply, said, the hon. Member had not mentioned the source from which the extract was taken, and ho had no means of knowing whether or not it was true; but ho should say that it was exceedingly likely to be the case, for he was informed by the Commissioners that they did grant to Messrs. MacDevitt and Murphy the authority to hear and decide cases in the absence of Mr. Walpole on urgent private business. They were so empowered to act by the 43rd section of the Land Act of last year.