§ MR. KILBRIDE (Kerry, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to the fact that, on the property of Captain Magill, formerly a valuer to the Irish Land Commission, and now manager of a Landlord Association in Ireland, known as the Land Corporation Company, a tenant, named Philip Currane, the rent of whose farm was £27 10s., and the valuation only £11, was evicted on Thursday, June 14, and thus deprived of the benefits of the Act of 1887, 48 which he, as a leaseholder, had expressed his intention of availing himself of; whether he was evicted for nonpayment of two years' rent; whether it is a fact that the parish priest, Father Murphy, offered to pay £20 down, and the balance at the rate of the yearly rent to be fixed by the Land Commission; and, whether the Government intend to take any steps to enable persons so situated to avail themselves of the benefits of the Act of 1887?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.), in reply, said, the facts stated in the first and second paragraphs of the Question appeared to be accurate. It was not true that Father Murphy made the offer stated in the third paragraph. He offered to pay £20 down, and £10 after an interval. The landlord's representative required £36 5s. 10d. The total debt to the landlord for which this sum was to be taken in settlement would apparently be £55. The case of this man did not appear to differ from that of any other leaseholder evicted before the Act of 1887, excepting that his time for redemption had not expired; and the Government did not propose to take any steps in the matter.
§ MR. FLYNN (Cork, N.)asked if the right hon. Gentleman's attention had been called to the Resolutions passed by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland that day, dealing with the important question of evictions and the debarring of tenants from the benefits of the Land Act of 1887?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURNo, Sir.