§ MR. WILLIAM MOORE (Antrim, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland it his attention has been called to the recent rule of the Irish Land Commission, under which an applicant to fix a fair rent in that Court is obliged to procure a certificate of valuation of the holding for the hearing before the Court, and file same, which has become necessary by reason of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, in order to enable the Court to decide upon the incidence of taxation, thus imposing an additional cost to the suitor of 2s. 6d. in each case; whether he will make representations to the Land Commission to the effect that, as a public department, they should themselves procure this information in each case, free of expense to the parties, by a form of requisition addressed to the other public department, the Commissioners of Valuation in Ireland; and, what fund now receives the 2s. 6d. so paid for such valuation.
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND (Mr. G W. BALFOUR, Leeds, Central)The reply to the first paragraph is in the affirmative. The Land Commissioners consider that the applicant, to fix a fair rent, should obtain the certificate of valuation for the standard year before he prepares the originating notice, as reference to such certificate will assist him in filling up the notice correctly, and will, in many cases, prevent the occurrence of errors and difficulties in the identification of the particulars of the holding, as set forth in the certificate, with those in the originating notice. Such identification is now essential in every case, having regard to the provisions of the Local Government Act, and the Land Commissioners decline to incur the responsibility of the identification. In their opinion the applicant, to have a fair rent fixed, should, as in every other Court, supply the Commission with the information requisite for adjudicating upon his case. The Land Commission are prepared, however, to consider the question of providing that certificates on the form prescribed by the Order made by the Local Government Board pursuant to Section 54, paragraph 10, of the Local Government Act, may, when available, be received. As regards the last paragraph, the fees received for certificates form part of the appropriations in aid of the vote for the Valuation Department.