HC Deb 03 June 1897 vol 50 cc164-5
MR. S. YOUNG (Cavan, S.)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) whether he is aware that in many parts of County Down and elsewhere the landlord's agent accompanies on the same car the Sub-Commissioners to the scene of their examination of farms on which fair rents are to be fixed; and (2) whether, considering the dissatisfaction which this practice creates in the minds of the tenants, he will take steps to secure that this custom be discontinued?

THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, Central

I have no knowledge of the matter referred to in the first paragraph, nor have the Land Commissioners. The Assistant Commissioners are required to avoid doing anything which might suggest partiality.

MR. YOUNG

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that frequent applications, without effect, have been made to the Land Commission Court by the Bailieboro' Board of Guardians for confirming orders for the payment of compensation to occupiers of farms for plots taken in July 1896 for labourers cottages; and whether the said Board of Guardians have any remedy for such delay?

MR. GERALD BALFOUR

The Orders referred to were sealed on the 25th May last by the Land Commissioners, and sent to the Solicitor for the Sanitary Authority on the same date.

CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)

On behalf of the hon. Member for South Galway (Mr. D. SHEEHY), I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that a number of tenants on the Clanricarde and Daly Estates entered their eases in the Land Courts in February last; whether the Commissioners inspected the lands since; and when is it contemplated to hear and decide the cases?

MR. GERALD BALFOUR

At the present date there are but 26 cases from the estate of the Marquess of Clanricarde which have not been listed for hearing. The estate referred to as the "Daly Estate" cannot be identified without some further information, as there are live different landlords of the name of Daly, from whose estates in Galway applications have been received. A Sub-Commission has been engaged until recently in disposing of eases from the Portumna and Loughrea Unions, but no date has yet been fixed for the next Sub-Commission to take up cases from these districts.