§ MR. M'CARTAN (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether be is aware that the Sub-Commissioners at present working in Ulster have declared that they cannot fix fair rents in cases where the valuations for the standard year on houses and land have not been lodged with or given to the Court; whether he can state how many applications have been made by solicitors for the tenants and by others for certificates of such valuations and as yet unattended to; whether he will take into consideration the desirability of suggesting to the Land Commission the propriety of having such certificates furnished to the different Sub-Commissions in respect of the holdings mentioned in the fair rent 934 applications in their lists for hearing; and, whether Ordnance Survey maps are at present furnished to the Sub-Commissioners in the same way for the convenience of the Court and the parties.
§ Mr. G. W. BALFOURWith regard to the first and third paragraphs, I am informed that some inconvenience has been experienced by a few of the Sub-Commissioners owing to their not having had before them, at the hearing in Court, certificates of the revised valuation of each holding in the standard year. Arrangements were made some time ago to supply them with these certificates from the general valuation office, and they are being issued as quickly as possible. The Land Commission have applied for certificates in 2,570 cases; of these 1,170 have been issued and the remainder will be in their hands before the end of the month. 2,500 certificates have been applied for by solicitors and others, of which 2,250 have been issued, and as to the balance, 100 cases await further particulars for identification, and the remaining 150 will issue before Saturday next. With reference to the last paragraph, it is the fact that ordnance sheets, in blank, are supplied to Assistant Commissioners, who mark on the sheets the boundaries of the holding as pointed out to them at the inspection.