§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that it is the universal practice to give purchasers under the Irish Land Purchase Acts copies of the purchase agreements signed by them, free of charge; whether he is award that poor tenants on the Tighe estate, Westmeath, who never read and do not understand the terms of agreements signed by them six years ago, are now refused copies of those agreements by the vendor's solicitor unless they undertake to pay unspecified charges; and whether the Estates Commissioners will either send copies of the agreements or require copies to be sent free of charge to those tenants before dealing with the estate?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe rule of the Estates Commissioners requiring vendors to give to each purchasing tenant in direct sales a copy of his purchase agreement at the time of signing is dated 4th November, 1907, and is not retrospective. The purchase agreements in the estate referred to in the question were signed prior to that date, and were executed by the tenants in the presence of witnesses who were rural district councillors. Any tenant can obtain a copy of his purchase agreement from the Land Commission on the payment of one shilling to cover scrivenry charges.
§ Mr. BOLANDasked what further steps, if any, had been taken by the Congested Districts Board to negotiate for the purchase of the Fuller estate near Caherciveen?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe agent has been asked for a reply to the letter addressed to him by the Congested Districts Board as to whether the owner will negotiate for the sale of his estate.
§ Mr. BOLANDasked when the sale of the Orpen estate, near Kilgarvan, would be reached in its order of priority; and when the claim of Thomas Gill, an evicted tenant on the estate, would be dealt with?
§ Mr. BIRRELLHaving regard to the prior claims of other estates, the Estates Commissioners are not at present in a position to say when the Orpen Estate will be reached in its turn, and the claim of Thomas Gill cannot be dealt with until then.
§ Mr. O'DOWDasked the Chief Secretary whether he was aware that in July, 1907, as the result of an arrangement come to in Judge Ross's court, the estate of Mr. Griffith, situate near l3allintogher, county Sligo, was inspected by an official of the Estates Commissioners with the view of having the property purchased for the tenants; whether any steps had since been taken to have this sale perfected; and, if not, whether, in view of the delay and the fact that this is a congested estate, he would see that the Congested Districts Board should now be requested to approach Judge Ross's court with a view to effecting the purchase of this estate?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate, which is the subject of proceedings in the Land Judge's Court, is situated in a congested districts county, and the documents in the case have been transferred by the Estates Commissioners to the Congested Districts Board with a view to the purchase of the estate by the Board. The estate has been inspected and valued for the Board, and an offer for it will soon be made to the Court.
§ Mr. O'DOWDasked the Chief Secretary whether he was aware that the estates of Colonel M'Clintock, in the townland of Coolbock, Miss Kathleen Cooper, in the townland of Liscony and Doorla, both in the electoral division of Liscony; Doctor Duke, London, townland of Faunagh; Mr. Owen Phibbs, townlands of Ardkeeran and Ardcumber, electoral division of 37 Riverstown, in the union of Sligo, had been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board and the Estates Commissioners; and, if so, what progress had been made by the above bodies for having those grass lands purchased for distribution amongst the uneconomic landholders in the immediate vicinity?
§ Mr. BIRRELLNone of the estates re-ferred to have been formally offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board under the Act of 1909. Colonel McClintock is willing to negotiate for the sale of his estate. Inquiries have been made from Miss Cooper and Doctor Duke as to whether they were willing to sell their properties, but no definite reply has yet been received. As regards the lands of Mr. Owen Phibbs at Ardkeeran, the Board understand that his interest is that of a tenant purchaser. They have no information as to the lands of Ardcumber. The Estates Commissioners inform me that a portion of the estate of Alexander Duke, comprising sixteen holdings in the townlands of Mountown and Tawnagh, was sold direct to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and the holdings were vested in the tenants in May, 1909.
§ Mr. JOHN ROCHEasked whether the estates of Cecil R. Henry, of Crumlin, Ballyglunin, county Galway, had been offered for purchase by the Congested Districts Board; and, if so, had they yet inspected the same?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate has not yet been formally offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board, but the owner is willing to negotiate for the sale. The necessary documents have been forwarded to him, but they have not yet been returned to the Board.
§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked the Chief Secretary whether he would state the number of estates for which purchase agreements had been lodged under the Land Act of 1909; if he would classify them according to the bonus they would be entitled to receive under the graduated scale, giving the number of estates and the total purchase money in each class?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThere have been lodged 5,669 agreements at 3½ per cent. annuities under the Irish Land Act, 1909, for the purchase of holdings situate on 780 estates, and representing a purchase money of £1,671,479. The bonus percentage is dealt with by the Judicial Commissioner when the purchase money is 38 advanced, and the Estates Commissioners are not, therefore, at present in a position to give the information asked for in the concluding paragraph of the question.
§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked what amount of the £12,000,000 provided by the Land Act of 1903 for the purpose of a bonus had already been absorbed by completed sales; and what amount would be required to pay a bonus on all other agreements lodged under the same Act and not yet dealt with?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe bonus paid up to date amounts to £4,111,548. Of this amount all but a comparatively small sum represents bonus at 12 per cent. under the Act of 1903. The amount of purchase money in cases under the Act of 1903 in which the bonus of 12 per cent. is still payable is approximately £47,000,000, and a 12 per cent. bonus on this sum would amount to a little over £5,500,000.