§ MR. SEXTONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, How many applications under the Arrears Act have been lodged with the Land Commission; how many have been granted, and to what amount; how many refused; and how many remain to be dealt with; what is the strength of the staff of investigators now available for proceeding with these cases; what estimate is formed of the number of cases that may be heard by the 30th of this month; and, whether any estimate can be made of the number of cases of tenants contemplated by the Arrears Act who will be excluded from its benefits by the uncertainty arising from the hanging gale sub-section, and the termination, on the 30th instant, of the period within which the landlord may be satisfied in respect to the rent for 1881?
§ MR. TREVELYANReporting on Saturday, the Land Commissioners inform me that 16,845 applications have been lodged; 1,243 have been favourably reported upon; but no orders for payment have been made since those set forth in the Return presented by command and which brings the proceedings down to the 31st of October. That Return shows the amount to be £5,062 3s. 1d. Forty-two cases have been unfavourably reported upon; 3,119 cases have been investigated, but not yet reported upon: and on the 18th instant 6,535 cases remained to be dealt with. Thirty-six investigators were employed up to Saturday, but many more are to enter on their duties this week. The Commissioners expect to be able by the 30th to list all the cases that are lodged up to and including the 25th instant. It is not possible to form an estimate of the number of cases referred to by the hon. Member in the final paragraph of his Question. The Land Commissioners ask me to say—and I am sorry to have to add this to my answer, but in justice to them I am obliged to do so—that the preparation of the statistics necessary for answering the foregoing Questions occupied the 1719 time of the Controller and three of his principal assistants for some hours. Just now every minute is of importance to them, and they deplore that at a time when there is a pressing necessity for doing work their staff should be occupied in stating what work had been done.