HC Deb 28 June 1906 vol 159 cc1108-9
MR. GINNELL (Westmeath, N.)

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that some landlords are, for the purpose of obtaining public money under the Land Act of 1903, by means of agreements called judicial, but never approved by any court, eluding inspection and selling within the zones of that Act holdings to which the Land Acts, used legitimately, do not apply; and, seeing that embarrassed tenants will not voluntarily expose this practice, will the Estates Commissioners ascertain the date of such an agreement in every case, disallow all signed since 1902, and have the holdings inspected as non-judicial.

(Answered by Mr. Bryce.) The Estates Commissioners inform me that, in any case in which it appears that a judicial rent for a first statutory term has been fixed by agreement made since 1st January, 1903, it is their practice, before sanctioning an advance, to make full inquiries into all the circumstances of the case with the object of ascertaining whether an inspection is necessary or not.