HC Deb 23 November 1909 vol 13 cc17-172
The CHIEF SECRETARY for IRELAND (Mr. Birrell)

I now move, "That the Lords Amendments to the Irish Land Bill, in lieu of the Amendments to which this House hath disagreed, be considered forthwith."

I might perhaps say, as the House was not sitting, that it was impossible to give notice of this business as would otherwise have been done.

Mr. MOORE

I think it will be in the recollection of the House that on the last occasion on which the Amendments to this Bill were before the House for its consideration that, the right hon. Gentleman got up and moved that they be rejected en bloc. Before we discuss these Amendments I think the House is entitled to hear from the right hon. Gentleman how they have been arrived at. Do they represent the agreement that he foreshadowed might take place? If these Amendments are put forward by the Government as the result of compromise on each side it is obvious that the tone in which they will be discussed in this House will be very different to what it otherwise would be. Are these Amendments the result of the various negotiations which have been proceeding since this House last met, and by a majority decided to reject the Lords Amendments en bloc? I ask this because it is obvious that there has been a good deal of give-and-take in the Amendments Those who oppose the Bill have given up a good deal; on the other hand, there have been some slight concessions made on the part of the Government. I want to understand before we begin this Debate on which of these Amendments are the Government going to take up the position that they adhere to all the surrenders made by the opponents of the Bill, and at the same time are unwilling to stand by the concessions which they granted during the progress of the negotiations?

Mr. BIRRELL

I should have thought that a gentleman of the political sagacity of the hon. and learned Gentleman would not have required enlightenment by the information that he seeks. If he examines the Paper I think he will see that certain Amendments are down in the name of the Lord Privy Seal, and he will not therefore be surprised if these are the Amendments which I shall ask him and this House to adopt. On the other Amendments not down in the name of any Member of the Government, but in the names of Lord Lansdowne and Lord Atkinson, he will not, I should imagine, be surprised to hear that on these subjects that the agreement to which he refers has not been arrived at.

Motion agreed to.

    cc18-23
  1. LORDS AMENDMENTS. 12 words
      2. c18
    1. Clause 3.—(Power to Make Advances by Guaranteed Stock under Certain Circumstances.) 7 words
      2. cc18-9
    2. Clause A.—(Regulations as to Priority.) 190 words
      3. c19
    3. CLAUSE 11 —(Substituted Agreements.) 198 words
      4. cc20-3
    4. Clause 12.—(Interpretation.) 1,279 words
  2. PART II.—LAND PURCHASE.
      3. cc23-37
    1. Clause 14.—(Exclusion from Provisions as to Zones.) 6,661 words, 1 division
      2. cc37-43
    2. CLAUSE 15.—(Limitation on Amount of Advances to Tenant Purchasers.) 2,532 words, 1 division
      3. cc43-55
    3. CLAUSE 16.—(Prohibition of Advance.) 5,132 words, 1 division
      4. cc56-77
    4. CLAUSE 17.—(Advances for purchase of Parcels of Land.) 9,956 words, 1 division
      5. cc78-93
    5. Clause 19.—(Facilities for the Planting and Preservation of Woods.) 6,569 words, 1 division
      6. cc93-7
    6. Clause 20.—(Equitable Price of Holdings.) 2,104 words, 1 division
      7. cc97-122
    7. CLAUSE 21.—(Congested Estates.) 10,575 words, 2 divisions
      8. c122
    8. Clause 27.—(Delegation of Powers of Estates Commissioners.) 114 words
      9. cc122-6
    9. Clause 34.—(Amendment of 3 Edw. 7. c. 37. s. 54.) 1,775 words, 1 division
      10. cc126-39
    10. Clause 41.—(Proposals for Purchase by Estates Commissioners.) 5,213 words, 1 division
      11. cc139-40
    11. CLAUSE 43.—(Procedure of the Estates Commissioners on Failure of Negotiations to Purchase.) 617 words
      12. cc140-50
    12. CLAUSE 45.—(Reconstitution of the Board.) 4,265 words, 1 division
      13. cc150-61
    13. CLAUSE 48.—(Congested Districts, Counties and Local Authorities.) 4,400 words
      14. cc161-4
    14. CLAUSE 48.—(Congested Districts, Counties, and Local Authorities.) 1,181 words, 1 division
      15. cc164-5
    15. CLAUSE 55.—(Sales of Parcels of Land by Congested Districts Board.) 396 words
      16. cc165-72
    16. CLAUSE 60.—(Restrictions on Sales of Land in Congested Districts Counties.) 3,216 words, 1 division