§ MR. JOHN REDMOND (Waterford)I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether the Government or the Lord-Lieutenant has issued any regulations, directions, or instructions, in correspondence or otherwise, to the Estates Commissioners causing an alteration in any way of their policy or administration of the Land Act of 1903 in respect to evicted tenants, or the sale of estates, or any other matter connected with their administration of the Act; and, if so, whether these regulations, directions, or instructions will be laid on the Table of the House in accordance with the pledge given by the right hon. Member for Dover on behalf of the Government on July 1st, 1903.
§ The following Question also appeared on the Paper—
§ MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the confidential communications in relation to the reinstatement of evicted tenants, which have been addressed to the Estates Commissioners by the Irish Government, were of such a character as to control in any way the discretion of the Estates Commissioners in dealing with carrying out the work of reinstatement.
§ MR. ATKINSONMy right hon. friend the Member for Dover stated on February 20th†that no regulations of the nature contemplated by Section 23, Subsection 8, of the Act of 1903 had yet been made. There has been no change in the position in this respect since that date. Communications have passed between my right hon. friend and the Commissioners, but these are Departmental and of a confidential character. I would ask the hon. and learned Gentleman to postpone the last query till my right hon. friend the new Chief Secretary has had an opportunity of considering the whole matter.