§ MR. LONSDALE (Armagh, Mid)To ask the Chief-Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will state the extent of land now in the hands of the Congested Districts Board, and the number of tenants under the board; whether fair rents have recently been fixed on a number of holdings held by tenants direct from the board; whether he will state how many head of cattle and sheep the Congested Districts Board had for sale at the last great autumn fair of Ballinasloe in October last; on what lands they are grazed; and why these lands have not been divided up in farms for the landless or for the enlargement of uneconomic holdings.
848 (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The extent of tenanted and untenanted land now in the hands of the Congested Districts Board is 286,347 acres. The number of tenants on these lands is 7,590. Fair rents have been fixed in the case of 12 of these tenants during the past year. The board sold 256 cattle and 98 sheep at Ballinasloe fair; these had been grazed on the Longford, Oldtown, Oat-field, and Newcastle farms. The existing limitation upon the powers of the board as to the disposal of land has hitherto made it difficult to deal with these farms. The question of extending the board's powers in this regard will be dealt with in the forthcoming Bill.