§ Mr. GUINEYasked the Chief Secretary what steps the Estates Commissioners are at present taking to acquire the lands of William X. Leader, D.L., situate at Dromagh, county Cork; if Mr. Leader offered these lands for sale to the Commissioners to be acquired by voluntary arrangement; if an inspection took place; and, if so, can he say what was the amount offered to Mr. Leader, and the number of acres proposed to be taken; are there a number of evicted tenants on this estate and district scheduled for reinstatement; whether he is aware that a number of small holders on the estate were prevented from purchasing their holdings under the Land Act of 1903, as they were included in the lands proposed to be acquired, the Estates Commissioners insisting that Mr. Leader should not sell to them pending negotiations; and whether, in view of the injury inflicted on these parties, on the evicted tenants and other landless people by the delay which has taken place in the acquisition of these lands, the Estates Commissioners will now take such steps as may be necessary to come to a speedy arrangement with the owner?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners recently instituted proceedings under the Evicted Tenants Act with a view to the compulsory acquisition of some 960 acres of land owned by Mr. Leader in the county Cork. They had previously been in negotiation with him, and had an inspection made, but no agreement as to price was come to. The proceedings are still sub judice, and the Commissioners must decline to disclose their estimated price. Applications received from tenants evicted from this estate and others will be considered in the allotment of the land, if acquired. The hon. Member is under a misapprehension in supposing that the Commissioners insisted that Mr. Leader should not sell to the tenants who had not agreed to purchase their holdings, pending his negotiations with the Commissioners for the sale of the lands in his own hands. Their holdings were not included 1624 in the sale of the tenanted lands, as no purchase agreements were lodged in their cases, but it is open to the parties to enter into and lodge purchase agreements at any time.