§ MR. BUCHANAN (Perthshire, E.)To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the total amount of the Unfunded Debt, and what are the separate amounts in Exchequer Bonds under The Capital Expenditure Act, 1904, and under other Acts, in Treasury Bills, and in other securities.
(Answered by Mr. Austen Chamberlain.). The total amount of the Unfunded Debt at the present moment is £81,633,000. It is made up as follows:—Exchequer Bonds, Issued under The Capital Expenditure Money Act, 1904, £6,000,000; and raised for the War, £20,500,000; Treasury Bills, Including £13,000,000 raised for the War, £21,133,000; and of the Bills issued to meet deficiency of Revenue, which have to be repaid before 177 31st March, 1905, there are still outstanding, £4,000,000; War Loan, which has to be redeemed in 1910, £30,000,000; Total £81,633,000.
§ Land Purchase in the West of Ireland.
MR. JAMES O"KBLLY (Roscommon, N.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in view of the failure of the Land Purchase Act to effect the re-settlement of the people on the grass lands in the West of Ireland, he will bring in a Bill to confer on the Congested Districts Board and the Estates Commissioners compulsory powers of purchase.
(Answered, by Mr. Wyndham.) It is premature to allege that the Act, which has been little more than a year in operation, has failed to effect the occupation of untenanted lands in the Wrest of Ireland. The last published Report of the Congested Districts Board shows that satisfactory progress had been made during the year ended 31st March, 1904, in the acquisition of lands in scheduled districts with a view to the provision of new holdings and the improvement and enlargement of existing holdings. I have no doubt that this satisfactory rate of progress will be accelerated in future years. The reply to the second part of the Question is in the negative.