§ MR. FRASER-MACKINTOSHI beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether he is aware that the practice by the Civil Courts of reversing the decisions of the Crofter Commissioners on the point as to who is a crofter under the Act is increasing; whether he is aware that the Sheriff Substitute at Tobermory set aside the decision of the Crofter Commissioners in the cases of Archibald Henderson, James Henderson, and Peter Livingstone, at Camuslane of Ardnamurchan, giving them reduced rents and wiping off considerable arrears decreed against them, whereby they are liable to poinding and eviction; and whether he will consider the advisability of taking steps to prevent appeals to Civil Courts in matters declared final by the Crofters' Act?
§ * SIR C. J. PEARSONI am not aware that there is any practice on the part of the Civil Courts of reversing decisions of the Crofters' Commission, or of entertaining appeals from that Commission. As indicated in my answer given to the hon. Member on 29th February last, the Crofters' Act does not debar a Civil Court from determining whether a person is a crofter when that question arises in the exercise of its ordinary jurisdiction. Whether the case referred to in the question was one of that nature or not I am unable to say, but I am in course of obtaining further information.