§ MR. BIGGAR (Cavan, W.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Whether the Commissioners of Education, of which body the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Lord Chancellor, and Senior Member of Dublin University, are ex-officio members, were applied to early in November, and again in December, 1886, by the tenants on the school lands adjoining Cavan, for an abatement in the year's rent; whether they were guided by the advice of their land agent, J. J. Benison, Ballyconnell, in offering on 10 per cent; whether the same land, agent last year, when agricultural produce brought much higher prices, advised a reduction of 15 per cent; whether, whilst negotiations were proceeding between the tenants and Commissioners, within the knowledge of Mr. Benison, he issued civil bills and ejectments against a number of the tenants; whether, notwithstanding the production in Court of Letters from seven of the Commissioners denying all knowledge of the matter, he pressed for and obtained decrees; whether a number of the tenantry have lodged with the secretary declarations of their inability to pay; and, whether, under these conditions, he, acting as one of the Board, will permit the enforcement of these decrees?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.)264 I find from a Report, made by the Secretary to the Commissioners of Education, that the Board was applied to in November and December last by the Cavan tenants for an abatement in the year's rent. The matter received the most careful consideration of the Commissioners, and they resolved to grant an abatement of 10 per cent. The Board declined to disclose the confidential communications made between themselves and their agent. No negotiations were proceeding between the tenants and the Commissioners at the time that the civil bills for rent and one ejectment process were issued by the agent, Mr. Benison. The resolution of the Board to grant 10 per cent abatement had been arrived at in November, and confirmed in December, and this offer of 10 per cent had been made by Mr. Benison to the tenants. The tenants had been informed by the Secretary that all communications with the Board should be made through Mr. Benison, and in reply their representative stated that he was of opinion they would not do so. Mr. Benison appointed the 9th of December for payment of rent, when the tenants refused to meet him. He again appointed the 22nd of December, when but one tenant paid. It was thereupon that the agent issued civil bills for rent and one ejectment process. Upon the 22nd of December the tenants wrote to the Board, and a few days later to various members of the Board individually, to the effect that they did not consider the 10 per cent abatement sufficient, and requesting that the matter should be again considered. At the next meeting (January 13) the Commissioners decided not to alter their previous decisions. The Board have no information as to any letters from individual members produced in Court. Ten of the tenants have within the past week forwarded through the post to the Secretary declarations of their inability to pay their rents. The constitution of the Board being well known, it can hardly be necessary that I should trouble the House by repeating the names of the Commissioners. The quorum is fixed by the Statute at three, and the average attendance was, I am informed, rather above that number in the period mentioned. The Commissioners do not feel called upon to publish the names of the members of their body present at any particular meeting. It is 265 a fact that the Chief Secretary for Ireland was made an ex-officio member of this Board by a Statute parsed in 1813. But as no Chief Secretary has attended the meetings for many years, and I am quite unable to do so, I can take no responsibility for the acts of the Board.