§ MR. P. C. DOOGAN (Tyrone, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland—(1) if he is aware that the glebe tenants purchased their holdings under the Irish Church Disestablishment Act at about 23 years' purchase of the then rents, which included their own improvements and tenant right; and (2) whether, as many of these tenants, owing to the high instalments which they have to pay and to the low price of farm produce, are now quite unable to fulfil their contract with the State, he will introduce some provision into the Land Bill with a view to redress their grievances in common with the rest of the tenants of Ireland?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralThe first paragraph appears to state the fact with substantial accuracy. For further information in the matter I would refer the hon. Member to page 5 of the Report of the Irish Church Temporalities Commission for the year 1876, and to page 15 of the same Commission for the period 1869 to 1880, both of which Reports have been presented to Parliament. As to the second paragraph, the Bill contains a provision extending to purchasers under the Church Act the advantages which, when introducing the Bill, I explained it was proposed to confer on all purchasers under the Land Purchase Acts.