§ MR. WILLIAM MOORE (Antrim, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that the Irish Land Commission had, prior to the Land Act of 1896, no power to compulsorily redeem tithe rent-charge issuing out of an estate sold by them; that it became the practice to sell the estate to the occupying purchasers in-demnified against the payment of the tithe rent-charge, and to retain so much of the purchase money as would when invested yield sufficient income to meet the tithe rent-charge so accruing; that the Act of 1896, not being retrospective, gave no relief in relation to prior proceedings; if he could see his way to inform the House in how many cases the Land Commission are still retaining part of the purchase money of estates in order to meet the liability to tithe rent-charge, and the total amount of moneys so retained; and whether he is prepared to afford the owners of such funds so retained by way of indemnity facilities to vary the tithe rent-charge, though no longer entitled to an estate in the lands, or to compulsorily redeem such tithe rent-charge so as to liberate the balance of the indemnity fund after such redemption.
§ *THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (MR. G. W. BALFOUR, Leeds Central)The facts of the case are not quite correctly set forth in the first paragraph; but the matter is somewhat too complicated to explain within the limits of an answer to a question. With regard 85 to the second paragraph, it is believed that the case of the Marquis of Bath was the only one in which a fund was retained in Court to provide for the payment of Tithe Rent Charge which the lands were liable and sold subject to, but with an indemnity against, such liability. There is a considerable number of cases in which the redemption moneys of tithes redeemed have not been allocated by reason of the obstacles arising from the decision in the Marquis of Bath's Estate and the existence of superior interests; but to compile a return of these cases would occupy much time, and involve the examination of the Estate Accounts and Records in the cases of all Estates in which there were retainers upon funds to credit. In answer to the third paragraph, Tithe Rent Charge not redeemed would, under the Bill recently introduced, be automatically varied, and I presume it would be for the Commission to consider whether, if the Tithe Rent Charge were reduced, any part of the indemnity fund might properly be re-leased.