§ MR. WOOD () Down, E.To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that in a number of cases to fix fair rents in the Land Commission Court, delay is caused by the rule of court requiring separate certificates of valuation: and, seeing that a valuator is sent from the General Valuation Office only once a year to inspect and separate the valuations, and in view of the delay occasioned thereby in fixing a fair rent by the court, he will take steps to have a valuator sent down once a month.
(Answered by Mr. Wyndham.) The Land Commission cannot comply with the provisions of Section 55 of the 214 Local Government Act, 1898, when fixing a judicial rent, unless the certificate in question for the holding is produced. At the present moment there are comparatively few cases awaiting decision by the Sub-Commissions through absence of these certificates, which in many instances require revision by reason of change of boundaries, etc. In the majority of these cases revised certificates have recently been received. In the remaining cases the Commissioners have communicated with the Commissioner of Valuation with a view to a revision. Any delay that is occasioned on the grounds stated is due to the fact that the parties have postponed applying for the revision of the valuation until after their notices to have fair rents fixed have been served. The Commissioner of Valuation has no power to revise valuations except annually.