§ MR. HERONasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether the attention of Her Majesty's Government has been called to the fact that the Commissioners of Church Temporalities in Ireland in their notices to immediate lessees or tenants, that they are willing to sell to them the fee-simple almost invariably demand thirty years' purchase on the rack-rent of the lands, although under the Act tithe rent-charge may be sold for twenty-two and a-half years' purchase, and perpetuity rents at five years' purchase; whether such a practice does not tend to destroy the right of pre-emption which it was intended the tenants should have, and to prevent the tenant-farmers from becoming owners of their lands in fee-simple; and, whether it is the intention of the Government to introduce any measure on the subject?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONin reply, said, he was informed by the Commissioners of Church Temporalities in Ireland that it was not their practice to demand 30 years' purchase, on the rack-rent of land which they had to sell. That was only asked in cases where the lands were extremely low let. Before 1516 land was offered for sale by the Commissioners, inquiry was made by them to ascertain the selling price of land in the neighbourhood, and the lands which the Commissioners offered for sale were offered to the tenants at that price. If the tenants declined to take the lands, they were sold by public auction, when the tenants had an opportunity of bidding for them in the market. Under these circumstances, he did not think there was any necessity of interfering with the course taken by the Commissioners.