§ MR. E. CARSON (Dublin University)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if it is a fact that settlements have been arrived at between the evicted tenants and the landlord of the Ponsonby estates; whether such settlements have been made under the Act passed in the last Session; could he state what is the number of tenants who have settled; and whether he will press upon the Land Commission the necessity of expediting, as far as possible, the proceedings before them, so as to enable the evicted tenants to return to their former holdings?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURNo agreements under the Act of last Session have yet been lodged in the Land Commission, but the Commissioners understand that agreements have been entered into in over 90 cases from the Ponsonby estate, and when these agreements have been lodged all possible steps will be taken to expedite the proceedings.
§ CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)asked whether the right hon. Gentleman would press the Commissioners, when they were determining the value of those farms, to consider the fact that, owing to the period of the year in which the purchase arrangements had been concluded, it would be absolutely impossible for the tenants to crop their farms this year?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI do not think it is any part of my business to call the attention of the Commissioners to that.