HC Deb 26 June 1905 vol 148 cc98-9
COLONEL NOLAN

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if his attention has been drawn to the statement of Judge Ross that sales in his Court are blocked for a want of £600,000 credit; and if he could obtain this credit for Judge Ross without infringing on the claims of other vendors to priority.

THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. WALTER LONG,) Bristol, S.

At the request of my right hon. friend, I will reply to this Question, and will at the same time answer the Questions of the hon. Members for Mid. Armagh and East Kenny. It would be impossible, without grave injustice to other vendors, to appropriate out of the comparatively small sum immediately available a sum of £600,000 to those vendors who may sell through the Land Judge's Court. The temporary insufficiency of funds is not due to any regulations which have been issued. The whole matter is engaging the most anxious consideration of the Government.

The following are the other Questions referred to—

MR. LONSDALE (Armagh, Mid)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the statement by Mr. Justice Ross, that the business of his Court must shortly cone to a standstill, owing to the intimation be had received from the Estates Commissioners that they could not reserve £600,000 out of the annual Government grant, pending the winding-up of estates in the Land Judge's Court; and what steps the Government propose to take to prevent the threatened deadlock.

MR. MURPHY (Kerry, E.)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to recent proceedings in the Land Judge's Court, in Dublin, relating to the insufficiency of funds for the purpose of carrying on sales of estates in Court; whether this insufficiency is caused by any new regulations issued to the Estates Commissioners; and, if so, or in any event, whether he proposes to take any steps to expedite the winding-up of this Court in accordance with the Resolution agreed to by Parliament.