§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ MR. T. W. RUSSELL (Tyrone, S.) ,in moving that the Bill be now read a second time, said, it was a short measure, the object of which was to remedy a defect that had arisen in the working of the 1st clause of the Act passed last Session. As the right hon. Gentleman the Chief Secretary for Ireland (Mr. A. J. Balfour) had expressed his willingness to accept the measure, and as, he believed, it was agreed to by all sections of the Irish Members, he hoped the House would consent to read the Bill a second time. He would briefly explain its provisions. There were a great number of Ulster leases which contained covenants against assignment; but, notwithstanding these covenants, the leases had been assigned, and the landlords had accepted the tenants, taken rent from them, and had their names entered for the rent on the estate books. Now, however, when these tenants sought to go into Court as leaseholders, the law was enforced against them, and they were not allowed to rank as leaseholders under the Act. The Bill was intended to remove that defect in the law, and to allow them to go into Court as leaseholders.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."—(Mr. T. W. Russell.)
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. MADDEN) (Dublin University)said, the Government did not consider that this was a Bill which was intended to re-open any question 1824 settled by the legislation of last year. It merely provided for a certain number of cases in which there was what he might call a technical flaw in the tenant's title, when an assignment had been substantially acted upon, and accepted by the landlord. The Government saw no reason to oppose a Bill which simply removed a defect of that kind; and they, therefore, raised no objection to the second reading.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Bill read a second time, and committed for Thursday next.