§ MR. P. C. DOOGAN (Tyrone, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that the Commissioners of Education, having granted an abatement to their tenants on the Fermanagh School Estate on last year's rent owing to the general depression, instructed their agent to exclude therefrom all judicial tenants, tenants who had served originating notices, and tenants in arrears of rents, thus precluding the great bulk of the farmers and all the poorer ones from receiving any benefit whatever from the abatement; and whether the Commissioners will reconsider their decision, and instruct their agent to extend the reduction without such discrimination to all the tenants on their estate?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI am informed by the Commissioners that they decided, after full consideration, to allow an abatement to non-judicial tenants on the rents falling due in November, 1896, and to tenants who served originating notices since November, 1896; but tenants who served notices affecting the rents of 1896 received no abatement, nor has it been given to tenants paying 568 arrears of rent prior to November last. I cannot say whether the Commissioners will reconsider their decision, but I understand that they have not been asked to do so.