§ MR. P. C. DOOGAN (Tyrone, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) if he is in a position to state how many holdings for which separate receipts are given there are on the Fermanagh estate of the Commissioners of Education in Ireland, and of these how many holdings are judicial tenancies of first term fixings; how many holdings are judicial tenancies of second term fixings; how many holdings are non-judicial tenancies; now many first term judicial tenants have entered court for second term fixings; how many non-judicial tenants have served originating notices; what is the aggregate amount of arrears due by judicial tenants up to 1st November, 1897; what is the aggregate amount of arrears due by non-judicial tenants up to 1st November, 1897; (2) have the Commissioners agreed to sell the estate to the tenants; and, if so, at how many years' purchase respectively to each of the three classes of tenants; and what course the Commissioners intend to pursue with reference to the arrears which the tenants in this bad season are utterly unable to pay?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI have forwarded to the hon. Member the detailed information desired in the first paragraph of the Question. As regards the second paragraph, an offer, purporting to come from 212 of the tenants, to purchase their holdings at 18 years' purchase of their present rents was made to the Commissioners in December last. This offer was accepted in January on the understanding that the expression present rents" meant the rents then actually 1654 payable by judicial and non-judicial tenants alike, without any deduction either on account of any abatement made voluntarily by the Commissioners, or on account of any judicial rents that might be fixed after their acceptance of the tenants' offer. The resolution of the Commissioners does not contain any provision dealing with the manner in which the arrears of rent are to be settled previous to the signing of the agreements to purchase. Number of holdings for which separate receipts are given, 332; number of holdings which are judicial tenancies of first term fixings, 164; number of holdings which are judicial tenancies of second term fixings, 1; number of holdings which are non-judicial tenancies, 167; number of first term judicial tenants who, except as above, have entered court for second term fixings, nil; number of non-judicial tenants who have served originating notices, 18; aggregate amount of arrears due by judicial tenants up to November 1st, 1897, £428 19s. 8d.; aggregate amount of arrears due by non-judicial tenants up to November 1st, 1897, £507 7s. 4d.