§ MR. J. P. FARRELLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will ask the Irish Land Commissioners to direct the next Court of Sub-Commissioners that sits for the disposal of cases from the Union of Bawnboy to hold their Court in Bally-connell, where there is a commodious courthouse in which Quarter Sessions are held, and not put witnesses to the expense and trouble of travelling longer distances to the Court?
§ *MR. GERALD BALFOURThe Land Commissioners, as well as the Chairmen of the several Sub-Commissions acting in accordance with the special wishes of the Commissioners, always endeavour to fix the places of hearing of fair rent applications to suit the convenience of all parties concerned, but they cannot, at present, undertake in this instance that the Sub-Commission will sit at Ballyconnell.
§ MR. J. C. FLYNN (Cork, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) whether his attention bus been called to the latest returns of evictions and eviction notices for the quarter ended 31st March 1897, from which it appears that 109 tenants were turned out of their holdings under Section 7 of the Land Law Act 1887, as against 17 under other processes of law, and 959 tenants dispossessed of all rights in their holdings under the same section; and (2) whether the Government, in view of the agricultural depression under which Ireland is now suffering, and in the light of these returns, will consider the propriety of introducing a short Bill repealing said section of the Act of 1887?
§ *MR. GERALD BALFOURThe number of tenants turned out of their holdings under Section 7 of the Act of 1887 during the quarter ending March 31 last was 95, and the number turned out under other processes of law in this period was 17. The number of tenants converted into caretakers by service of ejectment notices under the seventh section during the same quarter was 959. The tenancy being determined by the service of a notice under this enactment, the tenant must redeem before he can apply to have a fair rent fixed. I believe such redemptions are frequent, though statistics of the actual number are not available, and it is incorrect to assume that the tenant 621 in every such case is ultimately dispossessed of all rights in his holding. Moreover, the tenant may sell the tenancy at any time before the expiration of six months from the service of the notice. I may also point out that, whilst the number of tenants actually evicted in the past quarter was 112, the number of holdings retaken by former tenants in the same period was 158. The reply to the second paragraph is in the negative.
§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)Have the Government any information at their disposal which would show how many of these cases were those of judicial tenants?
§ *MR. GERALD BALFOURNo; I do not think we have, Sir.
§ MR. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Land Commission have in many cases adopted the practice in fair rent applications of having the evidence heard and the holding inspected by only one lay Commissioner; when was this chance of practice made, and on what principle the cases in which only one lay Commissioner is to act are selected; whether the practice has arisen because of the want of a sufficient number of lay Commissioners; and whether, in view of the important nature of the interests involved, the Land Commission will in future see that the practice of having an inspection by two lay Commissioners is adhered to?
§ *MR. GERALD BALFOURThe Land Commissioners have in several instances delegated to a Sub-Commission, consisting of one legal and one lay assistant Commissioner, the hearing of fair rent cases. This practice has been in existence to a limited extent for many years, and it has been extended during the present year, it has been adopted by the Land Commission for the convenience of the dispatch of public business, and I am informed that the cases have not been specially selected. The Land Commission in their discretion intend to continue the practice.
§ MR. MAURICE HEALYThe right hon. Gentleman has not answered the third part of my Question—" whether the practice has arisen because of the want of a sufficient number of lay Commissioners?"
§ *MR. GERALD BALFOURI think I have answered that part of the Question. No doubt if you increase the number of lay assistant Commissioners a measure of this kind will be less necessary in the interest of the dispatch of public business.