HC Deb 02 September 1909 vol 10 cc555-6
Mr. SPEAKER

Order, order. We cannot give the whole of the time to supplementary questions.

Mr. REDDY

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can say if William H. Atkinson applied to the Estates Commissioners for an advance of £6,322 to purchase certain lands on the Atkinson estate, King's County; whether he has been returned to the Estates Commissioners as a yearly tenant; whether, before the Estates Commissioners sanction this advance, they will satisfy themselves of the nature of this tenancy; and whether this transaction is other than a friendly arrangement between members of the same family to extract from the Treasury a large sum of money, the consideration between the parties being natural love and affection?

Mr. CHERRY

My right hon. Friend has already informed the hon. Member, in reply to a question asked by him on 19th July, that Mr. Atkinson has applied for an advance of £6,322, and that he has been returned to the Estates Commissioners as a yearly tenant. When the estate is being dealt with by the Commissioners in order of priority, due inquiry will be made as to the matters referred to in the question.

Mr. REDDY

Will the right hon. Gentleman inquire into this special case? This man was never a yearly tenant.

Mr. CHERRY

I really know nothing more than I have already said. It is utterly impossible for a Minister to spend all his time in investigating every case of this nature in Ireland.

Mr. REDDY

Then are these bogus cases to be allowed to go through?

Mr. J. CULLINAN

Seeing that this fraud is being daily practised in Ireland, and persons holding large tracts of land are getting enormous sums of money, will the right hon. Gentleman direct the attention of the Estates Commissioners to the matter, and ask them to exercise more care?

Mr. CHERRY

They have already directed my attention to cases in which fraud is alleged, and I have ordered proceedings to be taken. It is, therefore, not necessary for me to call their attention to the matter.

Mr. FLYNN

Is it not the fact that during the Debates on the Land Purchase Bill attention was frequently called to the possibility of frauds of this kind?

Mr. JOHN O'CONNOR

Do the Estates Commissioners read the newspapers?