§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)To ask the Secretary for Scotland in view of the fact that the Government have stated that they are fully alive to the desirability of improving the position of the landless cottars in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, will he state when it is proposed to take measures to attain that end, especially bearing in mind that cottars and fishermen were not mentioned in the Small Landholders (Scotland) Bill.
§ MR. WEIRTo ask the Secretary for Scotland if he will consider the expediency of introducing an Amendment of the Congested Districts (Scotland) Act, 1897, so as to admit of Section 4 of the Act being so construed as if the improvement or rebuilding of dwelling-houses and other buildings in congested districts, and the constitution of new holdings and the enlargement of holdings in congested districts, were respectively purposes specified in that section.
(Answered by Mr. Sinclair.) In reply to my hon. friend's Questions, I can only repeat my reply of 2nd April, to which I would beg to refer. If by the latter part of my hon. friend's Questions he intends to imply that cottars and fishermen were not eligible to benefit by the provisions of the Small Landholders (Scotland) Bill, I can only repeat the assurance already 894 given to him on numerous occasions that such apprehensions have no real foundation. Cottars and fishermen would have been eligible for benefit under the Bill equally with all other classes.