§ MR. JAMES DALY (Monaghan, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that a large number of tenants on the Shirley estate, County Monaghan, have made application to the Irish Land Commissioners to have fair rents fixed on their holdings; and whether he can state when the hearing of these cases will take place?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURAbout 40 applications have been received from the estate referred to, and the Land Commission intend to list these for hearing in about a month's time.
§ MR. M. McCARTAN (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to a circular issued by order of the Land Commission, dated 23rd November last, requiring in respect of all second statutory term applications served the record number and date of order or agreement whereby the fair rent for first statutory term was fixed; and is he aware that it was therein stated that if these particulars were not furnished to the landlord and Land Commission within six weeks, the application would be struck out, and that the form of application includes all the particulars required in that in respect of the first statutory term, and that the striking out would involve a loss to the tenant of the reduction in one gale's 385 rent; and whether he will state the number of applications so struck out?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe circular in question explained that the rules and forms issued by the Land Commission required that the particulars of information indicated should be stated, and that in the absence of such information it was impossible that the application could be identified with certainty at the office of the Land Commission with the file of proceedings at the time the fair rent was fixed for a first statutory term. The forms prescribed for applications for second term cases, which were issued in September, 1895, and again in September, 1896, distinctly state that the particulars "must be accurately filled up." The circular was issued in 3,428 cases. In 2,675 cases the terms of the notice had been complied with, and in 753 cases the applications have been struck out for non-compliance. The striking out of the application might involve a loss to the tenant of the reduction in one gale's rent, though not necessarily.