§ COLONEL LLOYD ANSTRUTHER (Suffolk, Woodbridge)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can explain the delay of the Land Purchase Commissioners in adjudicating upon the offers of certain tenants on the Greville Estates, County Longford, to purchase their holdings under the terms of Lord Ashbourne's Act; whether he is aware that agreements to purchase to the extent of £76,000 were signed between April and December,. 1889, by tenants on the Granard portion of the estate; that up to the present time sales representing £49,266 have been sanctioned; and that there remain on this portion of the estate a large number of cases still pending on which no final decision has been given; and that agreements to purchase to the extent of £12,944 were signed, for the most part, in October and November, 1889, by tenants on the Ballymacormick portion of the estate; that up to the present time only three of these cases, representing £1,257, have been sanctioned; that the 1557 remaining cases were postponed by the Commissioners on a question of turbary rights; that this question was settled, and the cases were remitted for the consideration of the Commissioners in November, 1891; and that offers to purchase on this portion of the estate, to the extent of £11,687, are still awaiting their decision?
THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir JOHN GOBST,) Chatham(who replied): My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. The Land Purchase Commissioners report that there has been no delay on their part in dealing with the applications from the Greville Estate, which have been adjudicated upon in due course according as the necessary information and rectifications as to areas, tenancies, turbary rights, grazing rights, and otherwise have been supplied. The total number of applications from both sections of the estate was 186 for sums amounting to £86,360. Of these 128 have been sanctioned for sums amounting to £62,018, and fifty have been refused for sums amounting to £22,562. There remain only eight cases to be adjudicated on, and these are stayed for replies to queries which have been issued long since. A sum of £48,624 has been lodged to the credit of the estate in the Bank of Ireland.