§ MR. DALYI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) whether he is aware that 35 evicted tenants from the Shirley Estate, 1433 county Monaghan, have made application to the Irish Land Commissioners to purchase the holdings from which they were evicted, under The Purchase of Land (Ireland) Act, 1896, Part V., and that Mr. Shirley, the landlord, has refused to join the tenants in their applications to purchase; (2) whether he is aware that about the time of the eviction of these tenants reductions were made on the Shirley property of over 40 per cent. by the Sub-Commissioners to tenants who were able to enter the Land Courts; and (3) whether, under these circumstances, he will devise means of reinstating the tenants mentioned?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe facts are correctly stated in the first paragraph. I have no information as to the second paragraph, and as regards the last paragraph, if the suggestion of the hon. Member is that there should be further legislation for the purpose of promoting settlements with evicted tenants, I have to say it is not the intention of the Government to undertake such further legislation.