§ MR. FISHER (Fulham)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can now give the House an accurate estimate of the aggregate rental of the whole field of the evicted tenancies which may come under the action of the Evicted Tenants (Ireland) Bill; whether he will furnish the Members of the House with figures showing the number of the claimants before the Mathew Commission whose tenancies were determined in each year between 1879 and 1894; and the total rental of the holdings so determined in each year from 1879 to 1894 respectively?
MR. J. MORLEYThe total estimated number of claimants coming under the Evicted Tenants (Ireland) Bill is 4,076, and the aggregate rental £142,077. Of these, 3,676 were claimants with an aggregate rental of £130,077 before the Mathew Commission, and 400 the number of persons who have been evicted since January, 1893, and who may probably appear as claimants, with an aggregate rental of £12,000. The cases of the claimants before the Mathew Commission could be classified by each year, but this would involve some time. It would not be practicable to make such a classification of the possible claimants since that Commission, the figures in their case being necessarily an estimate. The original estimate of the probable amount was thus an under-estimate, the average rental under Appendix G not having been at the time available.