Lords Sitting of 27 April 1866

MINUTES.
Took the Oath—The Earl of Erne.
PUBLIC BILLS—First Reading—Drainage and Improvement of Lands (Ireland)* (90).
Committee—Public Offices (Site) * (67). Report—Public Offices (Site)* (67).

RECORD OF TITLE (IRELAND) ACT, AND LAND DEBENTURES IRELAND ACT.
  PETITIONS.

    LANDED ESTATES COURT (IRELAND).
    MOTION FOR RETURNS.
    THE MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDE presented—
    "Petitions for increased Facilities in relation thereto; of Grand Jury of the County of Mayo;—and Members of the Registration of Title Association and others—."
    The noble Marquess said, the subject was one of considerable importance to the landed interests of Ireland, and moved for the following Returns:—
    "Copies of the Annual Returns made to the Home Office by Landed Estates Court of Ireland of the Business done during the Year by that Court, in pursuance of the 2Sth Section of the Act 22 & 23 Vict. c. 72, from the Year 1860 to
    2
    the last Year, and of those made to The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in pursuance of the 28 & 29 Vict. s. 88: And also,
    "Return of the Duty paid upon Declarations of Title made and registered in each Year up to the present."
    The first petition he held was from the Grand Jury of the county of Mayo, and the other was from a larger body—the members of the Registry of Titles Association, and was signed by a great number of magistrates and persons who were well known as people of respectability and consideration in Ireland. The petitions referred to a matter which formed a great injustice to Ireland—the amount of fees required for the registration of titles to estates in the Landed Estates Court in Ireland. The expenses of registration in Ireland—the Registry being attached to another Court—the Landed Estates Court—ought to be less than they were in this country; but the fees, on the contrary, were really quite exorbitant there, compared with the charges made in England, and even exclusive of and apart from all considerations of comparison, they were far heavier than they ought to be. The unequal taxation of Ireland and England, as regarded the first issue of Parliamentary titles, appeared from the following ex-

    3
    amples:—An estate worth £5,000 paid for court fees in Ireland £25, in England £9 5s.; an estate worth £20,000 paid £100 in Ireland, and only £25 10 s. in England; and an estate worth £100,000 paid no less than £500 in Ireland, and only £68 10 s. in England. In England, from October, 1862 (when Lord Westbury's Act passed), to June, 1865, there were 291 applications for registry of title. In Ireland in 1864 it appeared by the volume of Judicial Statistics the declarations of title were only thirteen. These expenses, then, manifestly operated as a bar to the registration of Estates in Ireland. He wished to know, whether the Government would take steps to have these charges reduced to a proper amount?
    THE EARL OF BELMOREsaid, he had had the honour of bringing this subject before the notice of their Lordships on a previous occasion, when his noble Friend the Under Secretary of State for War (Lord Dufferin) informed the House that the Government had the subject under their consideration. He desired to know whether the Government would soon be in a position to make known their decision upon the subject?
    LORD DUFFERINsaid, there was no objection whatever to producing the Returns moved for by the noble Marquess. With regard to the question of the noble Earl (the Earl of Belmore), he regretted to say that he was still unable to supply him with the information he required, the entire subject being still under the consideration of the Treasury.
    Motion agreed to.
    Papers ordered to be laid before the House.

    CONFERENCES.
    Message from the Commons to acquaint this House that they have considered their Lordships Message of the 24th day of this Instant April relative to Conferences relating to Addresses to Her Majesty, under the Provisions of the Act 15th and 16th Vict. Cap. 57., and have agreed to the following Resolutions:—
    "That the Commons are willing to send to the Lords by Message, without a Conference, any Communication desiring the Concurrence of the Lords to any Address to Her Majesty, under the Provisions of the Act 15th and 16th Vict., Cap. 57., to which the Commons may have agreed, unless at any Time the Lords should desire to receive the same at a Conference."
    House adjourned at half past Five o'clock, to Monday next, Eleven o'clock.