§ MR. MCCARTANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant 1314 of Ireland, whether he can state the number of applications recorded shortly after the passing of the Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1881, also the number thereof in which fair rents were fixed in court: Whether he is aware that the tenants in these cases were entitled to the benefit of the fair rent and judicial conditions from the gale day next after service of the notice; and that, owing to the delay in fixing the fair rents, a large number of these tenants some years afterwards settled by agreement with their landlords under the belief that they would not lose any of the advantages of recorded cases; but, as the judicial term only ran from the date of the agreement, these tenants cannot again apply to have fair rents fixed until the expiration of 15 years after those agreements; and, whether he will make any inquiry and see what can be done in relief of this class of tenants.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThirty-six thousand applications were recorded under the 60th section of the Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1881. Where judicial rents were fixed on such application, the statutory term commenced from the gale day next after August 22, 1881—viz., the date upon which the Act referred to came into force. The Land Commission do not know and have no means of ascertaining whether it is the case that a large number of tenants whose applications had been so recorded settled with their landlords by agreement under Section 8, Sub-section 6, of the Act of 1881, under the belief stated in the Question. The case of tenants in this position is at present under my consideration.
§ MR. MCCARTANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland—(1) whether he will state how many applications to the Land Commission and County Court respectively to fix fair rents for the second judicial term have been received from County Down, also the number of tenants of holdings in County Down now entitled to make such application; (2) whether, considering that there is in the Land Commission office a register of all the recorded cases, he will suggest the desirability of publishing town-land or district lists, giving the names, address, and particulars as to the area and rent of all tenants now entitled to apply in 1315 respect of the second judicial term; (3) and, whether he is aware that this information would enable the tenants to fill up their originating notices with accuracy, and save them the cost and delay of obtaining copies of the judicial orders or agreements.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURApplications to fix fair rents for a second statutory term have been lodged with the Land Commission in 92 cases from the County Down, and 31 similar applications have been lodged in the Civil Bill Court of the same county. Of these last mentioned cases, 18 have been transferred to the Land Commission. The Commissioners have no means of ascertaining what number of tenants in the county are now in a position to apply to have judicial rents fixed. As regards the second and third paragraphs, tenants who are entitled to have a judicial rent fixed for a second statutory term can obtain the necessary information to enable them to fill up the originating notices correctly, from a copy of the Orders or Agreements and Declarations fixing the present judicial rent, but this must be supplemented from their own knowledge of the gale days at which rent is payable. The Commission cannot say whether any particular tenant is entitled to apply until his case is sub judice. A copy of such Orders can be obtained from the Land Commission for 1s. When letters are received from individual tenants applying for information with reference to Orders made in respect of their holdings, the Commissioners invariably facilitate them by communicating to them all such information as they may require and is available.
§ MR. JOHN DILLON (Mayo, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, of the Ponsonby evicted tenants who early this year signed their agreements to purchase under Section 13, only 10 have been put into possession, while the great majority are still out of their farms, with the result that these people have been deprived of all opportunity of using the land this year; and, whether he will take this into consideration with a view to making some compensation to those tenants for this long delay?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURIt is necessary to communicate with Mr. 1316 Commissioner Lynch, before whom the purchase proceedings on this estate are pending, and perhaps, therefore, the hon. Gentleman will postpone his Question until Monday next.