§ MR. O'DOWD (Sligo)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have decided to purchase the estate of Mr. T. R. P. Phibbs, Heathfield, Collooney, County Sligo; is he aware that there are on this estate a number of uneconomic holdings, and that the estate comprises a considerable area of untenanted land suitable for the enlargement of small holdings on the estate; has all the untenanted land been offered by the vendor for sale to the Estates Commissioners, and have steps been taken to secure an equitable distribution of it amongst the occupiers of uneconomic holdings; and will he instruct the Commissioners to give notice of the particulars of the proposed scheme of redistribution of the untenanted portions to all concerned before the sale is completed.
§ (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The estate of Mr. T. R. P. Phibbs is being sold by the owner direct to the tenants under Section 1. The estate has been inspected and the matter has been before the Estates Commissioners for some time. There are several uneconomic holdings on the estate, and the Commissioners have been en- 232 deavouring to arrange for their enlargement, but up to the present have been unable to get the tenants to agree to the suggested arrangements. It is proposed that portion of the untenanted land on the estate should be used for the enlargement of holdings, and that portion should be resold to the owner. As the consent of the tenants to the proposed rearrangement is necessary they will be fully informed of the Commissioners' suggestions.