§ MR. CHANCE (Kilkenny, S.)(for Mr. T. M. HEALY) (Longford, N.) asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Has his attention been drawn to the complaint that the Salters' Company of London, having sold for £250,000 their Irish estates in Derry, refuse to continue the grants which under their Charter they made to the various churches and endowments of the county; has the money yet been paid over to them; if not, will the Treasury refuse to sanction the transaction until some attempt is made to satisfy the conditions of the Charter; and, are any other London Companies in treaty with the Land Purchase Commissioners for the transfer of their property; and, if so, will any steps be taken to compel the allocation of some portion of the purchase moneys before the transfer is sanctioned to endowments and charities which these Companies under Charter have hitherto supported?
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY (Colonel KING-HARMAN) (Kent, Isle of Thanet)(who replied) said: my attention has only been called to the matter referred to in the Question by the Question itself. So far as I am aware, the grants mentioned are voluntary contributions. I have not seen the Charter of the Salters' Company; if it imposes any legal obligation to make grants to churches or endowments it should be enforced by legal proceedings. The Land Commissioners state that the purchase money in all completed sales on the Salters' Company's estate has been paid. The Treasury cannot refuse its sanction where the transaction between vendor 1365 and purchaser comes within the Act, and is approved of by the Land Commission. Other Companies are also carrying out sales through the Land Commission. The Government have no power to interfere so as to make voluntary donations compulsory. The matter is one for representation and action on the part of the charities affected, and not for Government interference.
§ MR. CHANCEI wish to ask the right hon. and gallant Gentleman, whether he will take steps to discover if there if not a legal liability on the part of these Companies to continue the grants; and, if so, whether the Crown will take steps to have that legal liability enforced?
§ COLONEL KING-HARMANsaid, he had failed to discover that there was any such, liability on the part of the Companies.
§ MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)Would the right hon. and gallant Gentleman have any objection to arrange that the purchase money shall be withheld until Parliament has ascertained whether the original grants impose the spending of a certain amount of money?
§ COLONEL KING-HARMANsaid, the Government had no power to act in the manner suggested by the hon. Member.