§ MR. L. P. HAYDENI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether, in order to give facilities for the working of the clause in the Land Bill relating to the reinstatement of evicted tenants, he will renew the proposal in last year's Bill for a financial grant.
MR. J. MORLEYI do not quite know what financial proposal the hon. Gentleman means. Last year's Bill involved a compulsory reinstatement of the tenant. The present proposal is not compulsory, but voluntary, and is by way of purchase and not by way of reinstatement of the tenant. Therefore the financial proposals appropriate and expedient in the one case are not easily or obviously capable of application in the other case. But undoubtedly, if any financial proposal should be made and shown to be necessary, it would be considered by the Government.
§ MR. JOHN REDMOND (Waterford)The right hon. Gentleman seems to imply by his answer that money would not be required under the present proposals because they are for purchase and not for reinstatement. But whether the tenants go back as tenants or purchasers they will require houses; and was not a part of the money asked for last year for the purpose of providing houses? Does the right hon. Gentleman propose any such provision this year?
MR. J. MORLEYIt is quite true that one part of the financial proposals of last year's Bill was for repairing the buildings on the holdings within a limit 892 of £50. The other and more important part of the proposal was for the discharge of arrears. The first proposal may, no doubt, be applied to the present Bill; and, if it should seem desirable that the case should be dealt with under this modification of Section 13, we should be prepared to consider a clause with that object.
§ MR. J. REDMONDDo the Government intend to make such a proposal on their own responsibility?