§ MR. WILLIAM ABRAHAM (Cork County, N. E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can state whether agreements to purchase their holdings have been received by the Estate Commissioners from throe judicial tenants on the Ballyhindon estate of the Hon. Mrs. A. Pennington, Fermoy, county Cork, and if the terms agreed upon amount to twenty-two years purchase of first-term rents, which rents average 20 per cent, under the Poor Law valuation; whether he is aware that there are two other future tenants on this estate, who rents average 20 per cent. above the valuation, who have also offered to buy their holdings at twenty-two years purchase of judicial rents or rents to be fixed by arbitration, or upon such terms as the Estates Commissioners may fix, and that this offer has been refused and these tenants warned that if they will not buy on the terms of twenty-two years purchase of rents 20 per cent, over the valuation the landlord will demand later on twenty-four years purchase of these same rents; and what action will the Estates Commissioners take in this matter.
MR. CHEERYThe Estates Commissioners inform me that no agreements for purchase in this case have been lodged with them and no proceedings for the 662 sale of the estate are pending before them. I would remind the hon. Member that under the regulations of February last the Commissioners have power to intervene as conciliators in such a case as the Question describes. Their aid, however, does not appear to have been invoked by either of the parties.