§ MR. FRASER-MACKINTOSH (Inverness-shire)asked the Lord Advocate, Whether the Secretary for Scotland possesses or exercises any control over the sittings of the Crofter Commissioners; and, if so, whether he can explain why the Commissioners visited in 1887 one estate and part of another only in the Island of Skye; whether there are other estates in Skye in the same position as regards crofters and crofter applications as those visited; whether he has received complaints from the non-visited estates in Skye of the course adopted by the Commissioners; and, whether, if he have the power, the Secretary for Scotland will issue instructions that if a well-defined district, such as Skye, is once taken up by the Commissioners they shall continue their investigations until complete?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. H. A. MACDONALD) (Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities)It is provided by Section 17 of the Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1886, that the Crofters Commission—
Shall hold sittings in such places to which the Act applies, and in such order and subject to such regulations as the Secretary for Scotland may prescribe.1451 The Commission, having disposed of over 600 cases, left Skye on 7th June, 1887, (1) because their services were urgently required elsewhere; and (2) because large numbers of the crofters interested in the proceedings of the Commission had left for the fishing elsewhere. There are, no doubt, other estates in Skye requiring the attendance of the Commission as well as those visited already; and the Secretary for Scotland has received complaints from some of them that they had not been attended to before the Commission left the Island. But it was considered that the public interest would be more efficiently served by the Commissioners giving some of their time to other districts having pressing claims than by their returning at once to Skye, where considerable headway had been made. The Secretary for Scotland cannot give any general undertaking as to the movements of the Commissioners. The arrangements for their sittings have invariably been decided on with reference to the requirements of the districts from which applications have been received; and with the view of dealing with them in such manner as was considered best in the interest of the whole crofter area.