§ 62. Mr. O'MALLEYasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the fact that the seaweed on the shore below high-water mark belongs to the Crown, landlords owning property along the Connemara shore can enforce a rent for such seaweed; whether certain landlords in Connemara are now, and have been for many years, charging a rent upon such seaweed; and will he take steps to assert the right of the Crown in those cases in the interests of the poor tenants?
Mr. ROBERTSONThe question whether landlords owning property along the seashore can enforce a rent for seaweed taken from below high-water mark depends upon the ownership of the foreshore. This ownership is primâ facie vested in the Crown, and if the hon. Member will furnish me with full particulars of any case where a rent is being charged, either for the foreshore or for the seaweed growing on it, I will have the question of title carefully considered.