§ MR. WEDGWOODTo ask the hon. Member for the Crewe Division, as Church Estates Commissioner, if he will say how many public houses have been suppressed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners upon their estates during the twelve months ending 31st October, 1907, and in how many cases the leases of public houses have been renewed by them during the same period; and if he will also state what have been the aggregate amounts received by the Commissioners in respect of public houses on their estates during each of the twenty official years last past.
(Answered by Mr. Stuart-Wortley.) During the twelve months preceding 31st October, 1907, the Commissioners refused to renew the lease of one public house (expiring 1911), and, on the application of the lessee, allowed the discontinuance as licensed premises of another house, while a third was closed owing to the financial failure of the lessee. The leases of two public houses expired by effluxion of time and were not renewed. The lease of one existing public house was renewed, but this was agreed to as long ago as 1896, the applicants allowing the licence of a neighbouring public house to lapse in that year. Apart from the 175 question of the labour which would be involved, the Commissioners are not prepared to give the information asked for in the last paragraph of the hon. Member's Question.