THE EARL OF LIMERICK, in moving for a Return of all tithe rent-charges sold in the Landed Estates Court, Ireland, said, it appeared probable that a measure having for its object to make great changes in the position of the Established Church of Ireland would come before their Lordships during the present Session, and he thought it was of importance that all the information that could be obtained both as to the income of that Church and as to the amount of capital represented by that income, should be in their possession. The Report of the Royal Commission gave very full details as to the income of the Irish Church, and from that Report he found that the net annual income of that Church, including the net annual value in houses and land amounted to £616,840, of which the tithe rent-charge was £364,224. The object of the Return for which he moved was to put their Lordships into possession of some information as to the capital represented by the tithe rent-charge. There was a considerable portion of the tithe rent-charges in the hands of private owners, many of which had been sold at different times through the Landed Estates Court, and the price there obtained for them would afford a fair criterion for ascertaining the value of those in the hands of the Church. They differed in nothing except in the fact of their being in private hands from the tithe rent-charges in the possession of the Church. The noble Earl concluded by moving for—
Return of all tithe rent-charges sold in the Encumbered and the Landed Estates Courts, Ireland, specifying in each case,1. Date of sale: 2. Amount of rent-charge: 3. Whence accruing: 4. Price for which sold: 5. How many times the amount of each rent-charge the price is equal to.
LORD DUFFERINsaid, there was no objection to granting the Returns asked for by the noble Earl, provided he would be content to take them a little short of perfect accuracy. To give the exact Returns asked for would involve the examination of upwards of 6,000 rentals, and would occasion a great deal of delay, and a considerable amount of expense. The expense and delay would be all the more unnecessary as he understood that ample materials were already in existence for substantially affording the noble Earl the information for which he 1082 had asked. He supposed that in those Returns should be included the amount of tithe rent-charge sold, not only in the Landed Estates Court, but in the Encumbered Estates Court.
§ Motion agreed to.