HC Deb 02 May 1906 vol 156 c569
MR. GINNELL

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland will the Estates Commissioners inquire and ascertain all the cases on the estates already sold in which tenancies had been created by collusion between landlord and grazier for the purpose of extracting money under the Land Act of 1903, using upland previously untenanted and thus preventing the distribution of such land, which was one of the purposes of that Act; will the services of any inspector, who by his report facilitated such a transaction, be dispensed with; and what precautions will the Commissioners take to prevent the recurrence of such abuses.

MR. BRYCE

The Estates Commissioners inform me that they require the date of the creation of all tenancies created after January 1st, 1901, to be disclosed, and they have exercised and will continue to exorcise the discretion given to them by the Act in judging of the bona fides of such tenancies and of the amount of advance which should be made in respect of them. The instructions to inspectors (paragraph 16) require the necessary information to be given as to the wants and circumstances of other persons in the neighbourhood, and the Commissioners are not aware of the occurrence of any such case as is referred to in the Question.