§ MR. VILLIERS-STUARTasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether judicial rents have been fixed by the Irish Land Commission in about 45,000 cases; whether, in only 350 of these cases, orders have been made by the Commissioners for the building or improvement of labourers' cottages, and the attaching thereto of allotment gardens; whether it is a fact that less than 40 of the orders so given have been carried out; and, whether Her Majesty's Government will, at the earliest available opportunity, take the necessary steps to give effect to the Labourers' Clauses of the Land Act of 1881, and the Cottages and Allotment Act of last year?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, I have not the actual figures up to the present date, and they could not be obtained without some time for inquiry; but, judging from the latest figures before me, I have no reason to think that the hon. Member's estimate is far astray. There is a Bill at present before the House, to which I see the hon. Member has placed Amendments on the Paper, which, if carried, will remedy the state of things to which he refers. Without committing myself to questions of detail, I may say that we cannot think it a small matter, and that those Amendments will have the general support of Her Majesty's Government.
§ MR. VILLIERS-STUARTasked if there was any prospect of the Bill coming on this Session; and whether the Government would give an opportunity for bringing it on?
§ MR. TREVELYAN, in reply, said, that although the Bill was in the hands of a private Member, it had been extremely well received on its second reading; and, therefore, it stood a good chance of becoming law this Session.