§ 8. Mr. DONALDasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the number of acres of land acquired in Ulster under the Irish Land (Provision for Sailors and Soldiers) Act, 1919; how many ex-service men in Ulster have already secured land; and whether facilities will be given to the ex-service 2357 men to assist in the building of their own houses?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONThe Irish Land (Provision for Sailors and Soldiers) Act, 1919, was passed late in December last, and, having regard to the procedure which has to be followed under it, no land has yet been acquired by the Estates Commissioners under the provisions of the Act, but the Commissioners are taking the necessary steps with a view to the acquisition of land in Ulster as in the other Provinces. Thirteen ex-service men in Ulster have so far been provided by the Commissioners with land acquired under the Land Purchase Acts. Where the Commissioners build houses, they will, where practicable, give facilities to the ex-service men to assist in the building. Four schemes for providing cottages and plots for ox-service men in Ulster have been made by the Local Government Board, and the preliminaries are almost complete. The question of employing ex-service men in the erection of the cottages and fencing of plots will be sympathetically considered.
§ Mr. MOLESCan the right hon. Gentleman say how many applications he has received in respect to Ulster?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONI cannot say; but the total number of applications, as I have given, is 5,700.