§ MR. WALTER LONGTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the Returns prepared by the Estates Commissioners, at the instance of the late Government, setting forth by order of counties the names and various other particulars concerning the persons who claimed to be reinstated as evicted tenants or as the representatives of evicted tenants; and whether he will lay these Returns upon the Table of the House for the information 1276 of hon. Members, supplemented by the additional details which were called for from the Inspector-General, Royal Irish Constabulary.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.) The Return in question is merely a nominal list of persons who claim to have been evicted, or to be the representatives of persons evicted, from estates. The additional details supplied by the police are corrections of obvious inaccuracies as to habitation and the like appearing on the face of the list. The lists have not as yet been verified by the Estates Commissioners, and cannot at the present time be regarded as authentic. Until they have been so verified, it would not be desirable to lay the lists upon the Table of the House.