§ MR. TULLY (Leitrim, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that in the year 1880 several tenants of Mr. John Madden, of Hilton Park, occupying farms in the district of Cloone, South Leitrim, were evicted from their holdings, and on making settlement with their landlord were afterwards reinstated in their tenancies; whether he is aware that, notwithstanding their settlement of the rent and costs due to the landlord, these tenants are now considered future tenants, and excluded from the fair rent benefits of the Irish Land Laws; and whether he will communicate with the Laud Commission to see if there is any way by which these farmers can have fair rents fixed on their holdings to enable them to compete with the adjoining farmers who are judicial tenants?
MR. J. MORLEYI am informed that 27 tenants on this property were evicted between 1879 and 1886, that 25 of them were re-admitted as tenants in 1891 and two in 1893, and that in all these cases a settlement of the arrears of rent and costs was made, and agreements for new tenancies for 15 years entered into. If my information is correct these tenants would be future tenants within the meaning of the Act of 1881, and the Land Commission would have no jurisdiction to fix fair rents on their holdings. In any case the Land Commission could not determine whether the persons referred to are entitled to have fair rents fixed until the applications come before them for judicial decision.