§ MR. MACNEILLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland how many tenants of holdings in the county of Donegal applied to the Land Commission before the 1st November, 1887, to have fair rents fixed under the provisions of the Land Law (Ireland) Act? How many of these applications are as yet unheard by a Court of first instance, and in how many cases have appeals been lodged against the decisions of such Courts which are still unheard? How many tenants in the county of Donegal who applied to the Land Commission before the 1st November, 1887, to fix the fair rent of their holdings have subsequently accepted judicial leases at a rent agreed upon by landlords and tenant, without adjudication by the Land Commission? And, do the agreements so entered into between landlords and tenants of Court owe, in many cases, their origin to the delay of the Land Commission in hearing applications to have fair rents fixed?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe Land Commissioners report that the total number of tenants of holdings in the County Donegal who applied to the Land Commission before November 1, 1887, to have fair rents fixed was 12,027; of these 2,103 applications remain unheard, which includes 1,494 cases not yet listed and 609 cases which have teen already listed but not yet finally disposed of. In 215 cases notices of Appeal have been lodged against the decisions of the Sub-Commissions of the County Donegal, which are still unheard. The Commissioners are unable to say without considerable investigation what number 192 of tenants in the County Donegal who applied to the Land Commission before November 1, 1887, subsequently agreed to the amount of the judicial rent without adjudication of the Land Commission. Nor are they able to say whether agreements so entered into between landlords and tenants out of Court owe, in many cases, their origin to the delay of the Land Commission in hearing applications to have fair rents fixed.