§
THE MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDE moved that there be laid before the House—
1. Return of all sales of impropriate tithe rentcharge in the Landed Estate Court (Ireland) for the last ten years, in a tabular form, distinguishing the title of the proceeding in which each sale was had, the date of such sale, the annual amount, and the amount of the purchase money respectively of such tithe rent-charge, and stating the parish and county within which the same is payable:
2. Return of all sales in the Landed Estate Court (Ireland) of advowsons for the last ten years, in a tabular form, distinguishing the county in which such advowson is situate, the age of the incumbent at the time of sale, the building charge (if any) on the glebe house, and the amount of the purchase money of such advowson:
451
3. A copy of the particulars of the estimate of the amount of private endowments belonging to the Established Church in Ireland upon which the calculations of Her Majesty's Government respecting same have been formed:
4. Return of the several district lunatic asylums in Ireland, and the amount levied in each county in Ireland during the year 1868 for or in respect of the original expense and the present maintenance of such asylums respectively, including any criminal lunatic asylums supported wholly or partially by local rates:
5. Return of the names of the Presbyterian and Non-conforming and other Protestant dissenting churches and chapels in Ireland, the clergymen of which in the year 1868 received aid from the Regium Donum or other contribution from the State, together with the amount paid to each:
6. Return of the amount paid in each of the last five years to the Royal College of Maynooth from the Consolidated Fund, distinguishing the amounts paid to professors from those paid to students or for the establishment; also of any expenditure incurred by the Board of Public Works in Ireland for maintenance of the buildings in each year since 1845.
The noble Marquess said, it was essential that these Returns should be in their Lordships' hands before they were asked to consider, or even understand, the measure which was pending in the House of Commons, and he believed there would be no difficulty in producing them, except, perhaps, with regard to the private endowments belonging to the Established Church. Those endowments were valued by the Government at £500,000, and probably this would turn out to be a very fair estimate. As to the tithe rent-charge, the landowners were asked to redeem it at twenty-two and a quarter years' purchase; but he believed sales of tithe rent-charge ordinarily produced only sixteen or eighteen years' purchase, and it was desirable that the actual market value should be ascertained. It was also very important to both the clergy and the laity to know what provisions there would be for the Church after it was disestablished and disendowed, in order that they might be guided to act according to circumstances. The information for which he asked as to the Regium Donum and Maynooth was requisite in order to judge what should properly be given.
LORD DUFFERINsaid, there would be no objection on the part of Her Majesty's Government to grant the Returns, with the exception of that containing the particulars of the estimate of the amount of private endowments belonging to the Established Church in Ireland upon which the calculations of Her 452 Majesty's Government had been founded. Respecting that Return there would be great difficulty, and therefore he hoped it would not be pressed for. The Prime Minister, in addressing the House of Commons, had been very careful to state that the calculations of the Government in regard to private endowments were founded in many instances upon conjectural information. In the other Returns which the noble Marquess asked for accurate information could be obtained, and therefore the Government were willing to grant them; but, with regard to the Return relating to lunatics, he must request the noble Marquess to substitute the year 1867, the Government not having yet received the information for the year 1868.
§ Motion agreed to, except as to No. 3, with the substitution of 1867 for 1868 in No. 4.