§ MR. MURPHYI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether in the several cases in which second term rents were fixed by the Land Commission since 1881 to the 31st March, 1906, the old rental was reduced from £2,690,702 Gs. Id. to£1,728,600 15s.11d.; whether in all 14,790 applications to fix first and second term rents were undisposed of on the last mentioned date by the Land Commission and county courts in Ireland; whether he can take any steps for a speedy hearing of those applications so as to ensure that purchase transactions will be carried out on properly fixed rents; and whether he can give any explanation of the delay in fixing rents by the Land Commission in the cases mentioned.
MR. BRYCEThe Question correctly states the facts as shown by the Annual Report of the Land Commission recently presented to Parliament. The Land Commission inform me that during the throe months following 31st March last the number of fair rent applications undisposed of by the Commission was reduced by over 500. It is no doubt very
† See col. 722.1376 desirable that the fixing of fair rents should proceed as rapidly as possible, and I have no reason to suppose that the Land Commission are not taking all possible steps to that end. There is every reason to anticipate that with the progress of land purchase the number of outstanding applications to fix fair rents will continue to diminish.