§ Mr. WEIRasked the Lord Advocate, in view of the fact that the cottar population in the island of Lewis, with their families, represented a population of 7,500, and that the landward committee of the Stornoway Parish Council had sub- 15 mitted to the Congested Districts Board a list of cottars willing to migrate to the mainland, if he would state whether the Board had yet examined the list, and, if so, with what result; and, seeing that it was now upwards of three years since the Board were pressed to give effect to a scheme of migration, and were supplied by the Member for Ross-shire with a list of cottars willing to migrate from the island to the mainland, would he state what efforts had been made to secure the requisite land and the cause of the delay?
§ Mr. UREThe particulars obtained and submitted by the landward committee have now been carefully examined by the Congested Districts Board, with the result that the Board are not satisfied that migration on these lines offers the prospect of any practicable mitigation of the cottar problem of the Lewis. The information obtained will be borne in mind; but it is not intended to take any further steps at the present time. The list sent by my hon. Friend was received in March, 1908, not three years ago.