§ MR. M'GOVERN (Cavan, W.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland is he aware that the Irish Land Commission has had to reduce the amount of the purchase money agreed to be paid by tenants to their landlords in a number of cases during the past ten years, on the report of their inspectors who visited the holdings, on the grounds that the farms would not be security for the advances asked for owing to the insolvency of the tenants, and the amount of the price agreed upon; is he aware that the landlords in the majority of such cases have afterwards accepted the reduced prices recommended by the inspectors; and that the Irish Land Commission issued a new rule during the past year dispensing with the inspection of holdings by their inspector when the landlords' tenants agree as to price; will he state what precautions, if any, are now taken by the Irish Land Commission to prevent insolvent tenants, in order to prevent themselves being evicted, agreeing to give too large a price for their holdings; and will the failure of the tenants to pay the annuities payable to the Irish Laud Commission fall on the local ratepayers or be borne by the Treasury.
§ MR. WYNDHAMApplications for advances have been refused on the grounds of insufficient security, and other reasons, such as defective title. The Commissioners do not reduce the amount of the purchase money arrived at by agreement between the parties. In some instances where advances were refused on the grounds stated, applications were subsequently received and passed for reduced advances. The subject of the new rule was discussed in this House on Friday last. Section 2 of the Act of 1885 requires that the Commission must be satisfied as to the sufficiency of the security on the advance applied for, and the rule in question is but an echo of that section.