§ MR. MAURICE HEALYT beg to ask the Solicitor General for Ireland whether his attention has been called to a letter, said to have been written to a correspondent by the hon. Member for Dover, "on behalf of the Chief Secretary for Ireland," and published in the Times of the 19th instant, in which it is stated that since the Land Act of 1870 it has not been lawful for any Irish tenant to enter into a contract not to claim compensation for improvements; and, whether this is a correct statement of the law?
§ MR. MADDENMy attention has been called to the letter referred to, an extract only from which was published in the Times. I have ascertained that the correspondence referred to the case of one tenant only, whose rent was alleged to have been raised from £15 to £40. As applied to such a case, the statement was perfectly accurate, inasmuch as, as I understand, the valuation of the holding was less than £50.
§ MR. M. HEALYWill care be taken in future to ascertain that, before letters of this kind are published, the facts to which they relate are correct?
§ [No answer was given.]