§ MR. PATRICK WHITE (Meath, N.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord- 1240 each, county and parish in Scotland, with the gross rental according to the valuation roll, for the year ending at Whitsunday, 1906.
Lieutenant of Ireland whether the inspector to whom the application for reinstatement from James Gore, Mount Iress, Rathkenny, Slane, county Meath, was referred by the Estates Commissioners, has had any previous experience of such work or any commercial training. 1241 whatever; what was the date of his appointment as inspector, and by whom recommended; if the Estates Commissioners will call upon him for an explanation as to why he has not yet reported upon a farm visited by him about three months ago; and whether, considering the urgency of the evicted tenants question, will he suggest to the Commissioners the advisability of having their claims dealt with by inspectors who have some regard for business methods.
§ (Answered by Mr. Bryce.) I am informed that the inspector in question was originally appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant to the service of the Land Commission more than seven years ago, and was similarly appointed as an inspector to the Estates Commissioners when the Act of 1903 came into operation. He has thus had considerable experience, and the Estates Commissioners inform me that they have every confidence in his ability and impartiality. The Commissioners add that they deprecate personal imputations on their officials as being both unfair to the officials themselves and calculated to interfere with the proper discharge of their duties. In the particular case referred to the holding was inspected on 7th September last, and the inspector visited the evicted tenant at the same time. The delay in furnishing the report was mainly due to the fact that the inspector was in correspondence with the owner's agent with the object of procuring the reinstatement of the evicted tenant. The owner has instituted proceedings for the sale of his estate, and is not disposed to sell the evicted holding separately. Nothing, therefore, can be done in the case in the immediate future.