HC Deb 12 December 1919 vol 122 cc1878-80

In dealing with applications made in accordance with the provisions of this Act regard shall, so far as reasonably possible, be had for the wishes of individual applicants as to the locality in which they desire their land, plot, or cottage to be situated.

Mr. E. KELLY

I beg to move, at the end of the Clause, to insert the words and to the domicile of the applicant so as to secure that applications from men who at the time of enlistment were not domiciled in Ireland shall not be considered. This is an attempt to confine the allocation of Irish land under this Bill to men who have been born in Ireland and are familiar with the conditions of Irish agriculture, and therefore to the men for whom the provisions of this Act are intended. I would remind the House that the supply of land in Ireland is far short of the demands of applicants. Land for distribution under the Land Purchase Acts is very scarce, and it is most undesirable that applications for land under the provisions of this Act should be extended to applicants from England and Scotland. If it is desired that those classes of applicants should be provided with land, they should be provided with land in England or Scotland in some Bill similar to the Bill now before the House.

Amendment not seconded.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read the third time."—[Mr. Henry.]

Mr. E. KELLY

We are rather under a disadvantage in discussing this Bill, and for two reasons. We spent several hours on it in Committee yesterday, when valuable explanations were given by the Minister in charge. I think it is very hard that, owing to the fact that the Committee's proceedings were not reported, we are left absolutely without any record of what took place during the several hours. Hon. Members who attended the Committee will remember that there were many valuable explanations and commentaries given on the provisions of the Bill and on the manner in which it would be worked by the learned Attorney-General for Ireland. Those are lost to us. One effect of that will be that the Departments which have to administer this Bill will be deprived of the guidance they otherwise might have. The second disadvantage is that it was only yesterday we finished the Committee stage of this Bill, and here within twenty-four hours we have come to the final stage of the Bill, having had very little time to consider Amendments. There was one explanation which the learned Attorney-General was good enough to give us yesterday, and that was with regard to the future operations of Clause 1, Sub-section (3) paragraph (c). It will he within the recollection of the Attorney-General that we had a considerable discussion of that Clause, and that he pointed out with great detail the various classes of land to which that paragraph could possibly apply. He explained to us that it could not apply to land which had been purchased and was subject to an annuity payable to the Irish Land Commission; secondly, that it could not apply to the ordinary tenancies from year to year: and, thirdly, that it could not apply to leaseholds of the same class as the two former classes of land. It would be of assistance to the Departments concerned, and a valuable record, if the learned Attorney-General would now give us some explanation as to that point.

Mr. HENRY

I hare great pleasure in reassuring my hon. and learned Friend on the points he has raised. The object of the Bill is to provide for soldiers and sailors who have, served in. the War, and the method is to utilise the existing powers of the Land Commission for the purpose of acquiring land and then to distribute it amongst sailors and soldiers. I gather that my hon. and learned Friend is under some fear that holdings of tenants who are judicial tenants, or present tenants, or tenants who have bought out under the Land Act and are paying annuities to the Government, may be compulsorily taken. Not merely is it not the intention of the Government that that class of tenant should be dispossessed, but it is quite outside the powers of the Bill. The Land Commission gets substantially no new powers under this Bill. They are expressly forbidden to acquire compulsorily any holding which has been bought out.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read the third time, and passed.

The remaining Government Orders were read, and postponed.

Whereupon Mr. SPEAKER adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to Standing Order No. 3.

Adjourned at one minute after Six o'clock.