§ MR. LONSDALETo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the delay in sanctioning advances under the Land Act of 1903 in cases in which purchase agreements have been lodged is occasioning hardship to those concerned, and is likely to discourage sales and hinder the progress of land purchase; whether he can state how far this delay is due to insufficiency of funds in the hands of the Land Commission; and what steps are being taken to raise the money required.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.) I am informed that the amount of advances applied for and not yet made is about £30,000,000. The amount at present available for advances is approximately £2,908,000, and the Estates Commissioners anticipate that this amount will have been utilised early in the coming year. I understand that the intention, when the Act was passed, was that not more than £5,000,000 should be 401 made available for land purchase during each of the first three years, and, as I have already pointed out, this amount has been exceeded. The delay in making advances has not be on due to the insufficiency of funds at the disposal of the Laud Commission, but rather to the extremely complicated nature of the operations connected with the sale and purchase of land, which has involved a great expenditure of time.