§ COLONEL SAUNDERSON (Armagh, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether any steps have been taken to carry out the recommendations of the Fry Commission?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe recommendations of the Fry Commission may be divided into three classes. Firstly, those which would require legislation; secondly, those depending on the rules and practice of the Land Commission; and, thirdly, those requiring Government and Treasury sanction. With respect to the first of these classes, I cannot hold out any hope to my right honourable and gallant Friend that the Government will undertake to bring in a new Irish Land Bill. Of the recommendations which could be carried into effect by the Land Commission, a considerable number have been adopted and acted upon, but it would be impossible, within the limits of a reply to a Question, to go into these in detail. With respect to the recommendations requiring Government or Treasury sanction, the following measures have been adopted. The suggestion that all Sub-Commissioners should be permanent Commissioners is one that could not be accepted. Arrangements have, however, been made whereby Sub-Commissioners at present employed will hold office on a three years' tenure. Arrangements have also been made for testing the qualifications of future candidates for the post by means of a Civil Service examination. In addition to this, the system of employing only one lay Assistant Commissioner in the fixing of a fair rent will be discontinued from Easter onwards, and the Treasury have consented to the appointment of additional Assistant Commissioners to expedite the transaction of business.