§ MR. O'DOWD (Sligo, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will state what steps, if any, are being taken to give effect to the provisions of the 40th Section of the Land Act of 1896 in the case of those estates in Ireland at present under the jurisdiction of the Landed Estates Court; and whether, seeing that on many of these estates situated in congested districts in the West of Ireland the tenants are suffering by reason of the delay in having this matter settled, he will say when it is contemplated to have sales effected and the land transferred to the tenants in accordance with the terms of the section quoted.
§ MR. ATKINSONSince 1897, as a result of the pressure brought to bear by the Land Judge, a large number of estates administered in his Court have been wholly or partially sold, or taken out of Court, and the sales are rapidly progressing. In January last new rules were made regulating the procedure before the Land Judge. These rules, which were duly gazetted, are designed to afford further facilities for rapid sales to tenants. The 40th Section of the Act of 1896 does not apply to estates in congested districts until the Congested Districts Board have notified their intention not to purchase them.