§ MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN (Kilkenny)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, with reference to his statement that the 35,000 evicted tenants had been reinstated in their holdings since 1879, whether he can say what proportion of those were restored as future tenants, and thereby deprived of their status under the Land Act of 1881; and, whether he can give the total number of tenants evicted since 1887?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI have consulted the Inspector General in reference to this matter, and find that no official records exist which would supply the information desired by the hon. Member relative to tenants evicted and subsequently reinstated since 1879, nor has the Government any effective means at its disposal of obtaining reliable, or even approximately reliable, information as to the proportion of such tenants who have been restored as either "present" or "future" tenants. I may add, with reference to the figures mentioned in the question, that they include, in addition to ex-tenants reinstated in their holdings, the cases of relettings to other persons who entered into occupation with the consent of the former tenants; of persons who purchased the interest of ex-tenants; of relatives or connections of ex-tenants; and of sub-tenants who attorned to the head landlord. The total number of evictions from January 1, 1887, to December 31, 1895—a period of nine years 1484 —was 13,794, and of this number the greatest number in any one year was 3,869 in 1887, and the smallest 671 in 1895.