§ MR. JAMES DALY (Monaghan, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland—(1) whether 963 he is aware that the Irish Land Commission requested the tenants on the Bath Estate, South Monaghan, who purchased their holdings under the Ashbourne Act, to send the deeds of their farms for registration; (2) whether he can state how many deeds were received by the Irish Land Commission during the years 1883–4 from the Bath tenants, and how many of those deeds have since been returned to the tenants; (3) whether he is aware that the delay of the Irish Land Commission in not returning the deeds to the tenants mentioned is causing uneasiness and inconvenience; and (4) what course will he take to relieve the congestion that seems to exist in this department of the Irish Land Commission Office?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThis question appears to have been framed under a misapprehension of the provisions of the Registration of Titles Act, the object of which is to do away with proof of title by production of title deeds, and to substitute therefor the register of the title in the local office of each county, which is open to inspection. The fact is substantially as stated in the first paragraph. The title deeds had been retained by the Commissioners at the time the sales were completed, and pursuant to the rules issued under the Registration of Titles Act all title deeds must be lodged with the Registrar of Titles with the application for registration. During the years 1893 and 1894, 145 title deeds from this estate were lodged with the registrar. In 84 of these cases the titles have been registered, and full particulars of the registration can be obtained at the local registration office of the county. Copies of the land certificates have been sent to the purchasers. The remaining 61 cases are still pending for registration, but the delay in completing the registration in these cases does not rest with the Land Commission.