§ MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is true that the Land Commission in Ireland has lately instituted proceedings for arrears against several of the glebe land purchasers; and, whether, if so, he will cause these proceedings to be suspended until the Government are in a position to state what measure they intend to introduce for the relief of these men?
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY (Colonel KING-HARMAN) (Kent, Isle of Thanet)(who replied) said: It is the fact that the Land Commissioners have been obliged to commence proceedings for the recovery of arrears due by certain glebe purchasers. The Government are extremely anxious not to press unduly upon such purchasers in hard cases; but they can hold out no hope of any remission of the debt due to the State. The subject of the globe purchasers is under consideration; and the Government will be prepared to make a statement with regard to it by the time when the Irish Land Law Bill, now being considered in "another place," is introduced into this House.
§ MR. DILLONsaid, the right hon. and gallant Gentleman would not answer the point of his Question, which was this—proceedings were now in progress against certain of these glebe purchasers, piling costs upon them, and threatening them with evictions for sums which they were not able to pay; and what he wanted to know was, whether the Government would not consider the desirability of suspending those proceedings until such time as they were placed in possession of the measures of relief?
§ COLONEL KING-HARMANsaid, the action of the Land Commissioners must, of course, be guided by the circumstances of each case. In hard cases they will, no doubt, suspend proceedings, so far as they justly can, pending the promised statement of the Government.