§ MR. MAURICE HEALYI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state the number of fair rent applications from the county Cork lodged with or transferred to the Land Commission and still unheard, and how long ago the first of such applications was lodged; how many of such applications lodged in or prior to the year 1898 are still unheard; how many of such applications were lodged or transferred during the year 1899; how 449 many were disposed of by the Sub-Commission during the year 1899; and how many Lay Assistant Commissioners were assigned to the work of fixing fair rents in the county Cork during the year 1899.
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURThere are 715 applications to fix fair rents received from County Cork that have not yet been listed for hearing. The first of such applications was lodged in October, 1897. Of this number 48 were lodged in the latter half of the year 1897, 274 were lodged in the year 1898, and 357 in the year 1899. The remaining cases were lodged in the present year. There were 460 applications disposed of during the year 1899, when one wing of a Sub-Commission worked continuously in the county, and two other wings of the same Sub-Commission worked there for portion of the period. The cases lodged in or prior to 1898 will probably appear on the next list issued for the districts in which the holdings are situated.
§ MR. MAURICE HEALYIs it not a fact that the figures show that the work of the Department is falling into arrear more and more every year?
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURIt has certainly been falling into arrear.