§ Mr. MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 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 noon by landlord and tenant without adjudication by the Land Commission; and do the 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?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.The Land Commissioners report that it would not be possible to furnish the information indicted in the first paragraph unless by referring to the file in each individual case where rents were fixed by an agreement, and then comparing the entire 12,027 in those cases in which originating notices were served, a work which would seriously interfere with the ordinary duties of their Department. The Commissioners can, however, state that between January 1, 1888, and January 1, 1890, rents were fixed on consent by the Head Commissioners in 27 cases where originating notices had been served prior to November 1,1887. The Commissioners have no information as to the motives which ltd the parties to agree to the rents being fixed without a trial in Court.