§ MR. J. P. FARRELLI beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether any farms or the interest in any freehold or fee-simple farms have been purchased so far by the Estates Commissioners for the purposes of enlarging holdings or finding equivalent houses for evicted tenants; and whether, in cases where no un-tenanted land is for sale or possible to obtain in a district, he will consider the advisability of extending the powers of the Estates Commissioners to enable them to buy in large grazing farms for this purpose.
§ THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL FOE IRELAND (Mr. ATKINSON, Londonderry, N.)I am not quite certain that I understand the Question. The Estates Commissioners have not any power to buy land from a person whose interest is less than that of a limited owner within the meaning of the Act. They have no power to purchase under the Land Purchase Acts the interests of tenants entitled to lesser interests. Where the owner purchases the tenant-right of his tenant, he can, of course, sell the farm as untenanted land to the Commissioners; and applications to purchase such lands have, I understand, been made or are about to be made to the Commissioners. I do not think any additional powers are required to carry oat the policy of the Act.