18. Mr. DUNDAS WHITEasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the sum of £4,054,653, stated, in 1436 the Report of the Royal Commission on Local Taxation, 1889, Cd. 9150, at page 351, to be the amount of tithe rent-charge in England and Wales in the year 1887, represents the value of the tithe rent-charge at par or at the value of £100 tithe rent-charge as determined for that year and, if the latter, what that value was; and whether there is any later information regarding the amount of tithe rent-charge?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Sir Richard Winfrey)The sum named is the par value of tithe rent-charge as originally apportioned on land in England and Wales. In reply to the last part of the question, allowing, on the one hand, for additions by the conversion of corn rents into tithe rent-charge, and, on the other hand, for deductions through extinguishment by redemption, merger, exchange for land, and conversions of tithe rent-charge into the 4 per cent. rent-charge imposed under the Extraordinary Tithe Redemption Act, 1886, the net amount of variable tithe rent-charge payable was £3,993,179 in 1887 and is £3,678,675 at the present time, the values of these amounts, as varied in accordance with the septennial corn price averages being £3,491,720 and £4,016,985, respectively.