§ MR. CHARLES DEVLINI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state the nature of the agreements entered into for the purchase of their holdings by the tenants of Lord Stratheden and Campbell, of Barna, county Galway, and the number of years' purchase; whether the tenants had ever received reductions in rent from the courts: what is the average acreage of the holdings; what are the conditions with respect to mineral and sporting rights; whether he can say if representations have been made to the Estates Commissioners that threats have been made to compel the tenants to accept the conditions of the landlord; and if the tenants were made fully aware of the nature of the agreements into which they were entering.
MR. BRYCEThe Estate Commissioners inform me that, at the request of the owner, they have recently had a preliminary inspection made of the Barna estate, and have informed the owner that they considered that it should be sold to them under the provisions of Section 6 of the Act. No formal proceedings for sale have yet been instituted, and no agreements have been lodged. The information asked for cannot, 737 therefore, be given. If the estate should be offered for sale to the Commissioners, they will make due enquiry under the provisions of Section 6, and, in estimating the price, will have due regard to what the tenants, who they understand are mostly non-judicial, are willing to give.